


Making the Band: Track 5

by MsMKT86



Category: Degrassi the Next Generation, Glee, Instant Star
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Boy Band, Alternate Universe - Music, Alternate Universe - Reality Show, Alternate Universe - Record Label, Drama, Eventual Blaine Anderson/Kurt Hummel, Eventual Sam Evans/Mercedes Jones, Gen, Humor, Making the Band, Multiple Crossovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-18
Updated: 2016-06-15
Packaged: 2018-03-23 12:28:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 22,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3768484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsMKT86/pseuds/MsMKT86
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Darius Mills, mogul and CEO of G Major Records, sets out to make the perfect vocal harmony group. After nationwide auditions, Darius finds his band; but will new found fame and pressure derail them before they begin?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Flyer

**Plastered on every street in several major cities across the nation was this flyer.**

 

** **


	2. Nashville Audition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N: Hey guys! Thank you so much for clicking this story. It's just something I'm fiddling around with. This is a Glee story that is crossed with Making the Band and slightly with Instant Star. Ya'll let me know if you think I should continue. If you say no, I'll take this down and we'll never speak of it again. Enjoy!**
> 
> **Happy Reading!**
> 
> **And as always, COMMETS = LOVE!**
> 
> **_Disclaimer: I do NOT own: Glee, Instant Star or Making the Band, any characters, places, words or phrases from any of the aforementioned, New Kids on the Block, Backstreet Boys or 98 Degrees._ **
> 
> **ProTIPs:**
> 
> **Kwest = Quest**
> 
> **Bold is song lyrics (unless otherwise specified)**
> 
> **
> 
> THIS FANFICTION IS UNBETA'D BUT PROOFREAD. ANY REMAINING MISTAKES ARE UNINTENTIONAL. APOLOGIES FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE.
> 
> **

** Nashville Audition **

Sam stood in the longest line he had ever been in. He was from Memphis and he wanted a career in music but being from Tennessee could only really lead to a country career. While he loved country music it wasn't were his heart was.

Sam's younger brother Stevie had heard about the auditions for _G Major's Making the Band._ They were looking for guys in his age range for a vocal harmony group. Sam went to the website, downloaded the application, filled it out and packed his truck up for the three hour drive to hopefully his future.

As he stood there he couldn't help but scope out the competition. There were a lot of black guys and he can only ever remember there being three white vocal harmony groups and he was too young to be in any of them. He knew that Darius Mills, the CEO of G Major, was a bit of a hard-ass. He had read things online but he knew that he had a good voice and that he could do this.

Sam put his earbuds in and began practicing his song. He wasn't too loud about it. People were already looking at him. Maybe it was the plaid.

"Hey," the guy in front of him said, once Sam pulled one of his earbuds out.

"Hey," Sam said.

"I'm Ryder," the guy said with a smile. He was tall with dark brown hair and brown eyes.

"Sam."

"You look nervous."

"I'm not nervous," Sam lied. He didn't know if this guy was just making small talk or if he was trying to psych him out.

"Oh. I'm nervous," Ryder said truthfully. "The chances of us making this group are slim to none. I'm not blind and I know that New Kids on the Block and the Backstreet Boys were ten white dudes who took the world by storm but that other than 98 Degrees, no other group like that made of up of white guys touched the African-American community."

"Yeah, I know," Sam said. "But I know I can do this."

"Who told you about this audition?" Ryder asked as the line moved forward a little.

"My brother Stevie. What about you?"

"My girlfriend Unique."

"Her name is Unique?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. It's fitting," Ryder smiled. "I had no desire to come out here today but she said she believed in me and well, here I am."

"That's cool," Sam said. He was missing that element in his life at the moment. He had broke up with his last girlfriend about eight months ago and he hadn't been focused on girls. Just singing. "Hey man, you're next."

"Shit," Ryder said looking at the door. Sam watched as he handed his paper number to the girl sitting at the table and she handed him a cordless microphone. A few moments later, the door opened and a massive black guy and waved Ryder in.

"Break a leg," Sam called out as the door shut. He took a deep breath and handed the girl the paper number he had gotten when he turned in his application at the beginning of the line. The girl scrolled through her tablet and Sam leaned over to see what she was looking at. It was a copy of his application. She read through quickly before handing him a microphone. _"Rude,"_ Sam thought as he stood there, breathing deeply.

After about ten minutes the door opened again and the guy waved Sam in. He took another deep breath and walked inside. It was a large open space in a warehouse. There was a spot for him to stand marked by an X and about three feet away from the X was a long table. Right smack-dab in the middle of it was Darius Mills.

"I'm Darius Mills," the man with the smooth chocolatey skin and the bright smile said. "This is hit producer, Kwest and hit songwriter, Ashley Kerwin. What you got for us today?"

"Um, I'm Sam. I'm gonna be singing, _It's Over by Jesse McCartney_ ," Sam said. When no one on the panel said anything else, he took a deep breath and began. " **We've run out of words we've run out of time. We've run out of reasons, really why we together? We both know it's over baby bottom line. It's best we don't even talk at all,"** Sam crooned. **"** **Don't call me even if I should cross your mind. Hard enough, I don't need to hear your voice on my messages. Let's just call it quits it's probably better so if I'm not returning your calls it's cause,"** he sang. **"** **Cause I'm not coming back I'm closing the door. I used to be trippin' over missin' you but I'm not any more. I got the picture phone baby, your picture's gone. Couldn't stand to see your smile every time you dialed,"** Sam sang powerfully. **"** **Cause it's over girl you know it's over this time. So when you call I'm pressin' 7 don't wanna hear your messages messages. I'm tryna erase you from my mind,"** he performed. **"Cause it's over I swear girl it's over this time. So don't keep callin' leavin' messages don't wanna know where you been. Baby cause it's over,"** Sam finished when Darius held his hand up.

"Why do you want to be in this band?" Kwest asked.

"I love R&B music. I don't think that it has to be limited to one race and I think that I could touch people with my music," Sam answered.

"That sounds like you want to be a solo artist," Ashley said. "Why should we consider you if that's what you want?"

"I want to be in music. If being in this group is what I have to do to get there then so be it," Sam said. "I never said I wanted to be a solo artist. Of course, before today I was working on a solo career but who of the people you've seen today and those guys still standing in line _weren't_ working on a solo career. It was all we had. I'm sure a few guys were in a group but 9 out of 10 were solo acts," Sam stated. He didn't particularly like Ashley. "Excuse me for saying so, but I don't appreciate being made out to be some villian because I was working on being a solo act before today." Sam didn't notice, Darius and Kwest small smiles when Ashley shifted in her chair.

"Thank you, Sam," Darius said. "We'll let you know."

"Alright. Thanks for the opportunity," Sam said as he made his way across the room to the exit. He handed the beautiful blonde woman at the door the microphone.

"I'm Sadie Harrison-Mills," she said with a smile. "Here's this. It's a callback sheet. If you get a call, this is the where and when," she informed him.

"Thanks," he said as he pushed the door open.

"Oh," she said. Sam turned back to look at her. "It was about time someone took Ashley down a peg," she said her hand on the push handle of the door. Sam stepped outside and smiled. "Nice job," Sadie smiled as she pulled the door shut. Sam's smile was glued on as he made his way back to this truck.


	3. New York Audition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N: Hey guys! So here is chappie number 2. I hope you guys enjoy it. Let me know what you think. Enjoy!**
> 
> **Happy Reading!**
> 
> **And as always, COMMENTS and KUDOS = LOVE!**
> 
> **_Disclaimer: I do NOT own: Glee, Instant Star or Making the Band, any characters, places, words or phrases from any of the aforementioned, Donnie Walhberg, AJ McLean, Looking for Love by R. Kelly, Justin Timberlake, Pandora or anything else you can find outside of fandom._ **
> 
> **
> 
> THIS FANFICTION IS UNBETA'D BUT PROOFREAD. ANY REMAINING MISTAKES ARE UNINTENTIONAL. APOLOGIES FOR ANY INCONVENIENECE.
> 
> **

**New York Audition**

Noah stood in line for the audition that could change his life. At this point in his career, if you could call it that, he was settling for busking in Central Park and open mic nights at random bars. He was over that shit. He wanted something real. Something that he could make some money at and something that he could entertain people with.

He knew that when he heard that G Major Records was looking for guys for a vocal harmony group that he was going to be one of those guys. He had always admired Donnie Walhberg and AJ McLean and they're bad boy appeal. He himself had that kind of appeal and he knew how to play it up on stage. So, Noah decided that he could put his skills to the test and audition.

The only problem he was having now was the line was long as fuck. He pulled his phone out and popped an earbud in his ear and listened to the song he was going to dazzle the judges with.

"Excuse me," a voice said from behind him. Noah turned around to face a tall guys with brown wavy hair, a bright smile, black skinny jeans, a black tank and blazer, dress shoes and a thin dark purple and gray scarf around his neck.

"What?" he said.

"I'm Jesse," the guy said.

"Noah," he said. "Call me Puck."

"Why?" Jesse asked confused.

"Because I said so, skinny jeans," Puck retorted.

"Right well, I've been keeping a close eye on the competition and it's looking pretty good for us."

"Why is that?"

"Well, while most people expect vocal harmony groups or known by their lessen known title, R&B boy bands, mostly consist of black guys, New Kids on the Block, The Backstreet Boys and 98 Degrees have proved to the world that white guys can hack it in R&B," Jesse explained. "Plus I've been listening to some of these guys sing and if they're the competition, we're so in there."

"How do you know what I sound like?" Puck questioned. He didn't necessarily like Jesse but it didn't seem like the guy was going to go away.

"I heard you humming. Anyone who can hum in tune can sing,"Jesse said. "Look, you see that guy right there. Next in line." Puck nodded. "He's awful. Pitchy and maybe a bit tone deaf. He's definitely not going to make it to the next round."

"Sucks for him," Puck said. He wasn't going to ever admit it out loud but he was nervous. He thought that he was good and his sister Sarah thought so too but so what? Neither of them were pros.

"What song are you singing?" Jesse asked.

"Why?" Puck questioned.

"Just asking," Jesse said. "I'm going to be singing a very poignant ballad. It will show off my vocal talent and my ability to emote and connect with the song."

"Good on ya," Puck said turning away from Jesse. He had no idea what that kid sounded like but he hoped that personality was a factor in the selection process. That way Jesse wouldn't make it. When Puck got to the front of the line, he handed the girl his number and she handed him a mic and he waited. Once that door opened there was no turning back. He listened to his song while he waited.

Puck was pulled away from his song when he heard Jesse humming. He tired to ignore him.

**"** **I've been alone with you inside my mind. And in my dreams, I've kissed your lips a thousand times. I sometimes see you pass outside my door. Hello, is it me you're looking for?"** Jesse crooned. **"** **I can see it in your eyes, I can see it in your smile. You're all I've ever wanted, and my arms are open wide."** he continued to sing. **"** **'Cause you know just what to say. And you know just what to do. And I want to tell you so much, I love you,"** Jesse finished before he began to hum again. Puck hated to admit it but that Jesse kid was fucking good but he still had hope that his suck ass personality would get him eliminated. When the door opened, Puck walked past the huge security guard and into a large empty warehouse. He found the X he was supposed to stand on and he faced the judges.

"Sup?" Puck said with a nod. "I'm Puck."

"It says Noah here," the chick on the end said looking at her tablet.

"I go by Puck," he stated. "What of it?"

"It's cool, man," Darius said cutting his eyes at the girl. "I'm Darius Mills," the man with the smooth chocolatey skin and the bright smile said.

_"_ _Who doesn't know that, man?"_ Puck thought to himself.

"This is hit producer, Kwest and hit songwriter, Ashley Kerwin. What you got for us today?" Darius asked.

" _Looking for Love by R. Kelly,"_ Puck answered. Ashley looked as if she already knew Puck was going to be a waste of time, while Darius and Kwest looked intrigued. When no one else spoke, Puck cleared his throat and began. **"I been looking for love** **i** **n all the wrong places** **a** **nd now I finally found** **s** **omeone who cares for me,"** Puck began. **"No matter the storm,** **i** **t was you who helped me face it** **a** **nd now it's safe to say,** **t** **hat you really care for me,"** he crooned. Puck closed his eyes, took a deep breathe and continued. " **You saw my needs, forgave my faults. You cleansed my heart, you changed my thoughts. You brought the sun into my life;** **w** **hen my world had seemed dark, yes you did,"** he sang soulfully. **"** **And you're the only one** **w** **ho was there when I needed a friend. You're the only one who can place joy** **w** **hen there's pain in my heart,"** Puck crooned masterfully. **"I been looking for love** **i** **n all the wrong places** **a** **nd now I finally found** **s** **omeone who cares for me,"** he sang. **"No matter the storm,** **i** **t was you who helped me face it** **a** **nd now it's safe to say,** **t** **hat you really care for me,"** Puck finished smoothly as Darius held his hand up.

"Why do you want to be in this band?" Kwest asked.

"Honestly, I just want to make music and a lot of money," Puck chuckled. "I'm a simple creature." Ashley rolled her eyes. Puck was about to say something when Darius spoke up.

"Why is that song you picked?" he asked.

"I know what I look like," Puck said as he glanced down at his dark wash destructed jeans, moto boots, a black t-shirt with the sleeves cut off that said "Metal Lives" faded on the front and a dark wash denim jacket; also with the sleeves cut off, and as he ran his hand over his perfect mohawk. "I also know that if I came in here and did some Timberlake or some shit like that that I wouldn't be seeing you again. Yeah, he's a talented singer or whatever but I want to show that I can handle more vocally complex songs too," Puck smiled. He knew that that was an impressive answer. He had to thank Pandora for that song information thing; otherwise he would have never thought to say "more vocally complex songs".

"Well, thank you for the honesty, man," Darius said with a bright smile. "We'll let you know." Puck nodded and strode off toward the exit. he was stopped by a beautiful blonde woman.

"I'm Sadie Harrison-Mills," she said with a smile. "Here's this. It's a callback sheet. If you get a call, this is the where and when," she informed him as he handed her is microphone.

"Thanks," Puck said with a crooked grin. He pushed the door open and pulled out his phone. He had to call his sister and tell her about his awesome audition.


	4. Miami Audtion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N: Hey guys! Here is the next chapter of MtB. I hope you enjoy it. There are two more of these audition chapter then we have callbacks. Enjoy!**
> 
> **Happy Reading!**
> 
> **And as always, REVIEWS = LOVE!**
> 
> **_Disclaimer: I do NOT own: Glee, Instant Star, Degrassi, any characters, places, words or phrases from any of the aforementioned television shows, If I Were Your Many by Bruno Mars, Ty (from Shake It Up), Lance Bass or anything else you can find outside of fandom._ **
> 
> **
> 
> THIS FANFICTION IS UNBETA'D BUT PROOFREAD. ANY REMAINING MISTAKES ARE UNINTENTIONAL. APOLOGIES FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE.
> 
> **

** Miami Audition **

Artie rolled down the smooth Miami sidewalks toward what he hoped was his future. He had seen a flyer at the club he worked at for the G Major talent search. It was for a vocal harmony group and your boy knew that he was the perfect man for that job. He had downloaded the application and filled it out as was ready to do this.

When he got to the registration table at the end of the long line, he slid it across the table to the girl. She looked up, then down at him.

"What?" Artie asked the girl who quirked her eyebrow at him.

"This is for a vocal harmony group," she deadpanned.

"Yeah, I know. So?" he asked. The girl leaned up and eyed his chair. "Girl, don't let this chair fool you. My vocals is hot." the girl chuckled and rolled her eyes playfully. She entered his information into her laptop before sliding him a paper with a number on it.

"Um, break a leg?" she said as a question.

"Why the hell not? They already don't work," Artie said with a wink before rolling away. He had been in a car accident with his mom when he was eight and been in the chair ever since but so what? He was confident and he knew he had swag for days. He pulled his phone out and popped in his earbuds. He needed to focus on his song, not the songs of the hundreds of dudes around him. Artie felt hands on his chair as he grooved to his song. "What the hell?" he asked turning around to see a guy he didn't know.

"I'm Ty," the guy said with a bright smile. He was skinny and tall with tan skin and brown eyes.

"Artie," he said. "What are you doing?"

"Helping out, man," Ty answered. "You nervous?"

"Nah," Artie said. "I was singing in the womb," he joked.

"Well, I ain't gon' lie. I'm nervous," the other guy said. "I've never done anything like this before."

"Well, you must think you got something going on if you in line for a vocal harmony group."

"Yeah man. I think I'm talented but do I think I'm talented enough to make the cut, I don't know."

"Look here, be confident," Artie said as Ty pushed him closer to the front of the line. "If you go in there like you own the place and you know that you're going to win this damn thing then you'll do fine."

"Is that your plan?" Ty chuckled.

"Nah man. I already know I'm making this damn group," Artie said in a matter of fact tone. "I just got to get in there."

"Well, you're next," Ty said pushing him in front of the table that sat by the door. Artie handed the girl his paper. She looked at his chair, he rolled his eyes and she handed him a cordless mic. When the door opened, Artie wheeled himself inside the large empty warehouse. He found the X that marked his spot and he turned himself to face the long table. He felt his nerves flared up at the sight of Darius Mills.

"I'm Darius Mills," he smiled. "This is hit producer, Kwest and hit songwriter, Ashley Kerwin. What you got for us today?"

"I'm Artie and I'm gonna be singing _When I was Your Man by Bruno Mars_ ," he said with a smile. When no one said anything, Artie took a deep breath and began. **"** **My pride, my ego, my needs, and my selfish ways,** **c** **aused a good strong woman like you to walk out my life,"** Artie sang. **"** **Now I never, never get to clean up the mess I made, oh. And it haunts me every time I close my eyes.** **It all just sounds like ooh, ooh ooh ooh ooh,"** he crooned. **"Mm, too young, too dumb to realize, that I should have bought you flowers and held your hand. Should have gave you all my hours; when I had the chance. Take you to every party 'cause all you wanted to do was dance,"** Artie sang. **"Now my baby's dancing but she's dancing with another man,"** he vocalized sadly. **"Although it hurts, I'll be the first to say that I was wrong. Oh, I know I'm probably much too late to try and apologize for my mistakes, but I just want you to know,"** he sang soulfully. **"I hope he buys you flowers. I hope he holds your hand. Give you all his hours; when he has the chance,"** Artie sang his voice thick. **"Take you to every party, 'cause I remember how much you loved to dance. Do all the things I should have done; when I was your man,"** he crooned sadly. **"Do all the things I should have done; when I was your man,"** Artie finishes softly. Darius and Kwest applauded raucously. Ashley clapped too.

"So, why do you want to be in this band?" Kwest asked.

"I just want entertain," Artie answered. "I've been in this chair for a long time but it hasn't stopped me from doing everything I've wanted to do. I wasn't going to start with this." Darius and Kwest nodded.

"You are aware this is an audition for a vocal harmony group?" Ashley commented, her eyes on his chair.

"Ashley," Darius said, cutting his eyes at her.

"I'm aware," Artie said flatly. "So? Lance Bass couldn't dance either but he got to be in a band." Kwest and Darius stifled laughter when Ashley just sat in her chair, arms crossed because what was she supposed to say to that.

"Thank you, Artie. We'll let you know," Darius said with a smile. Artie nodded before he wheeled off toward the exit where he was met by a beautiful blonde woman.

"I'm Sadie Harrison-Mills. Here's this," she introduced as she handed him a sheet of paper. "It's a callback sheet. If you get a call, you'll know when and where."

"Thanks," Artie said as he wheeled out the door she held open for him.

"Oh," Sadie called. "Nice job standing up to Ashley. Sometimes her bitchiness knows no bounds."

"I ain't got time for that girl," Artie said "but thank you." Sadie waved and Artie rolled down the smooth sidewalk knowing that he had impressed Darius, Kwest and probably that bitch Ashley too. He knew would be getting a callback, now all he had to do was wait.


	5. Chicago Audition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N: Hey guys! Here is the next audition chapter. Let me know what you think. Enjoy!**
> 
> **Happy Reading!**
> 
> **And as always, COMMENTS and KUDOS = LOVE!**
> 
> **  
> _Disclaimer: I do NOT own: Glee, Instant Star, Degrassi, Making the Band, any characters, places, words or phrases from any of the aforementioned, NKOTBSB (New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys), Love After War by Robin Thicke, or anything else you can find outside of fandom._  
>  **
> 
> **
> 
> THIS FANFICTION IS UNBETA'D BUT PROOFREAD. ANY REMAINING MISTAKES ARE UNINTENTIONAL. APOLOGIES FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE.
> 
> **
> 
>   
> 

**Chicago Audition**

Blaine ran down the busy and windy sidewalk toward the long line outside of some warehouse. He had seen the flyer for the G Major Talent Search six months ago but due to a bad decision and a stupid ex-boyfriend, he had missed the Seattle audition. He checked himself out in the mirrored building beside him. His dark blue khaki pants were rolled up right above the ankle, his brown braided belt wrapped perfectly around his waist. His blue and white striped polo shirt tucked in, his curly hair styled perfectly, his brown deck shoes scuff free. He thought he looked great.

Blaine listened as groups of guys around him doo-woped and crooned soulful ballads. He didn't want to show off what he could do. He know that vocal harmony groups mostly existed in the R&B genre and that the members were mostly African-American but so what? NKOTBSB gave him hope and that's what he was going into this audition with; hope.

"Hi," the guy in front of him turned around and said.

"Hi," Blaine said.

"I'm Sebastian," the tall guy said. He had blue eyes and a slim frame. His crooked smile dazzled Blaine but knew boys like Sebastian. They would dazzle you with a charming smile then make you miss court and leave you stuck in jail.

"I'm Blaine," he smiled.

"Are you excited about this?" Sebastian questioned.

"Yes. I know that this is maybe a long shot because of the whole being not black thing but I think I have a pretty good voice," Blaine told him.

"Well, I know I have a great voice. This is going to be cherry pie," Sebastian said matter of factly. "They'd be crazy not to put me through."

"There are a lot of talented people here," Blaine said. He thought Sebastian was cute but he was a dick.

"Maybe but not talented enough to beat me," the tall guy smirked. Blaine smiled halfheartedly before he popped his earbuds in.

When he got the registration table he handed the girl sitting there his application. She looked it over and entered some things in on her laptop. She handed him a number then didn't give him a second glance. He chalked that up to her being jaded by the music business or whatever. He couldn't think of any other reason she had been a grade A bitch.

The line moved at a somewhat steady pace. Blaine listened to his audition piece over and over again, making sure he knew all of the words, forwards and backwards. He didn't want to be like one of those tragic American Idol contestants who had made it to Hollywood only to forget the lyrics, then hum the melody as you watch the judges whisper to each other; and you know they're saying there is no way in hell this guy is going to make it through and then when the song _finally_ ends you just run off the stage and the cameras catch you crying you eyes out. No, that wasn't going to be him. He was going to nail this audition if it was the last thing he did.

As he neared the door, Sebastian waved his hand in front of Blaine's face.

"What?" Blaine asked.

"Wish me luck," Sebastian smiled brightly. "Not that I'll need it."

"Yeah. Break a leg," Blaine deadpanned as the door opened up and Sebastian the douche entered. "Or your neck," he muttered as he put his earbuds back in. He wasn't usually that mean to people; whether he thought it or spoke it out loud. There was just something about Sebastian that made him want to kick him in the chest.

Blaine handed the girl sitting at the table his number. She looked over some things then handed him a cordless microphone. This was it. He had this microphone in his hand and whenever Sebastian stopped "impressing the judges" or whatever he was doing in there, it was Blaine's turn. He closed his eyes and continued to listen to his song.

Blaine was lost in song when he felt someone tap him on the shoulder. He pulled his earbuds out and the guy behind him pointed toward the open door. He took a deep breath and went inside. The empty warehouse was daunting. He found the X on the floor and stood on it. He faced the table and the fanboy almost jumped out of him. Sitting there in the middle of the table was _the_ Darius Mills. CEO and mogul. Blaine loved Darius and everything he had done for the music business.

"Hey. I'm Darius Mills," the gorgeous chocolate skin man with the bright smile said. "This is Kwest, hit producer and this is Ashley Kerwin, hit songwriter," he introduced. "Who are you and what you got for us today?"

"I'm Blaine and I'm going to be singing. _Love After War by Robin Thicke_ ," Blaine told them with a smile. Darius nodded and Blaine took a deep breath, " **Oooh it's a knock-out baby, you want the fight. I said I'm sorry that I acted like a selfish child,"** Blaine began to sing the upbeat song. **"Please forgive me baby, I was out of line. You know I can make it right. Don't you love it when we fight,"** he crooned as he lightly danced. **"Love After War...I need you tonight baby. Love After War...Come on and let me make it right baby. Love After War...I'm knockin on your door. Love After War...You know I want it, you know I want ya,"** Blaine finished masterfully as Darius held up his hand, an impressed look on his face.

"Why do you want to be in this band?" Kwest asked.

"I love to perform and entertain. This is the perfect way for me to do both," Blaine said with a smile.

"Did you think that singing a song by a Blue-Eyed Soul artist would give you an advantage?" Ashley questioned annoyed, her arms folded.

"Uh no. I like Robin Thicke. He's über talented and I love that song," Blaine said. He had no idea what he had done to annoy Ashley but he didn't appreciate her snark. "This is an audition for a vocal harmony group. I just figured that R&B was the way to go."

"You were right," Kwest said.

"Don't mind her," Darius said.

"Thank you for the opportunity," Blaine said with a brilliant smile.

"Thanks Blaine," Darius smiled. "We'll let you know." Blaine waved goodbye to the judges and headed toward the exit on the far side of the building. He was met by a beautiful blonde woman dressed in an immaculate dress suit.

"I'm Sadie Harrison-Mills," she said introducing herself. "Here's this. It's a callback sheet,"

"So, if I get a call I'll know the details, like the where and when," Blaine said.

"Exactly," Sadie smiled.

"Thank you," he said as he pushed out of the door. Blaine looked down as the callback sheet and smiled. He knew that it wasn't guaranteed that he would get a call but if he was going by the look on Darius' face he was pretty confident he was in there.


	6. L.A. Audition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N: Hey guys! Here is the next chapter of MtB. It's a tad shorter than the others but this is the last audition piece. Let me know what you think so far. Enjoy!**   
>  **Happy Reading!**
> 
> **And as always, REVIEWS = LOVE!**
> 
> **  
> _Glee, Instant Star, Degrassi, any characters, places, words or phrases from any of the aforementioned television shows, G Major Records, L.A., David Silver (Beverly Hills, 90210), K-Pop, Beats by Dre,I Wish by Carl Thomas or anything else you find outside of fandom._  
>  **
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> THIS FANFICTION IS UNBETA'D BUT PROOFREAD. ANY REMAINING MISTAKES ARE UNINTENTIONAL. APOLOGIES FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE.
> 
> **
> 
>   
> 

**L.A. Audition **

Mike stood in line for the G Major Talent Search. He didn't think he was much of a singer but he knew that good vocals would go a long way. His girlfriend Tina had been helping him get vocally ready. She assured him that he was going to make it. He tried to believe her but he had just always related to music through his feet.

He listened while others sang and did warm-ups around him. He noticed that everyone around him was super, _super_ prepared. They had their songs down to a science and they looked the part. Mike looked down at his black jeans, black T-shirt and white suspenders and wondered if he should have added a blazer; but he chalked that up to this being L.A. and either you're over-prepared or look like an unprofessional lame. As of this moment, he was feeling like maybe he fell on the latter side of the spectrum.

Every guy in front of him had one finger in their ear and one finger in the air as they tried to reach high notes that they probably hadn't reached since they were eight. He shook his head as he listened to the screeching high notes that followed.

Mike and Tina had carefully selected his song. She told him that in things like this, song choice was everything. He decided to tune everyone out and put his earbuds in. Mike bobbed his head to his song. He was into when he felt someone behind him jostle him. He popped his earbuds out and turned to see a tall guy with dark hair and blue eyes with his Beats on dancing.

"Sorry, man. Did I hit you?" the guy said sliding one side of his headphones off.

"It's ok," Mike said. "I'm Mike."

"I'm David," he said with a smile. "You excited?"

"Yeah, you?"

"Yeah. And nervous."

"Why? Can you sing?" Mike asked.

"I've done some back-up work but nothing major like this," David answered.

"Well, that's more than I've done," Mike replied. "My girlfriend thought I'd be good for this."

"Mine too," David laughed.

"So are you a dancer?" Mike wondered.

"Yeah, I mean I never took any classes or anything like that," David shrugged. "You dance?"

"Yeah. Been dancing since I was seven," Mike told him. David nodded.

"I don't think there's any dancing today, though."

"Yeah, you're probably right."

"Sucks."

"Completely," Mike said.

The two of them talked as the line moved steadily but slowly forward. When Mike reached the registration table he handed the girl sitting there his application. She looked it over and entered some things into her laptop before handing him a piece of paper with a number on it.

He and David moved through the line talking and exchanging dance moves until Mike was next in line. He handed his piece of paper to the girl sitting at the table by the door and she looked at it then her laptop then handed him a microphone. Mike gripped it in his hand and took a deep breath as he stared at the solid door ahead. When the door came open, a massive black man there. He waved Mike forward and he entered into the large warehouse space. As he approached the X marked on the floor with tape then he took yet another deep breath.

"What's up? I'm Darius Mills," the dark skin man said with a bright smile. "This is Kwest, hit producer and this is Ashley Kerwin, hit songwriter. Who are you and what you got?"

"I'm Mike," he said. He had almost forgotten how to speak for a moment. "I'm going to be doing, _I wish by Carl Thomas_ ," he announced. Darius nodded and Mike took another deep breath, held the mic up and began to sing,

 **"** **Maybe in another life,** **t** **hings could be the way we both desired. It's a catch-22. Either way it wen** **t;** **s** **omeone had to lose,"** Mike crooned as he tapped his feet to the upbeat ballad. **"** **And I wish I never met her at all. Even though I love her so,** **s** **he got love from me,"** he sang passionately. **"** **But she still belongs to someone else. And I wish I never met her at all. Even though I love her so,** **s** **he got love from me** **b** **ut she still belongs to someone else,"** Mike crooned soulfully. **"I wish I wish I never met her at all. Ohh, I wouldn't hurt so much inside,"** he crooned softly. **"Oh I wouldn't feel this pain; if I never met her at all, at all, at all,"** Mike sang in a pained voice. **"Ohh, ohh, yeahhh, wish I never, wish I never** **,"** he finished softly as Darius held up his hand.

"Why do you want to be in this band?" Kwest asked.

"I just want to entertain. Plain and simple. It's been my dream since I was a little boy," Mike smiled, "and my girlfriend thinks that me being in a vocal harmony group is a step in the right direction for Asian sex symbol in the music industry that isn't involved in K-Pop or an Asian dance crew."

"But K-Pop is R&B music," Ashley said in a snotty voice.

"Yeah but it's in Korean and like six people in the states even know what it is. Twelve if you count the people who know about Rain," Mike informed her. He hadn't meant it to come out nasty but something about Ashley rubbed him the wrong way.

"Thanks, Mike," Darius said with a chuckle. "Well let you know."

"Thanks for the opportunity," Mike said as he headed toward the exit. He was greeted by a blonde woman in a dress suit.

"I'm Sadie Harrison-Mills. This is a callback sheet. Don't lose it," she said handing him the paper.

"Thanks," Mike said.

"No problem. So if you get a call, refer to the sheet for the time and place," Sadie smiled as he pushed the metal door open.

"I will," Mike said as he stepped outside. He pulled his phone out and dialed.

**"Hello?"**

**"Hey Tina, I don't know why but I think I made it to the next round," Mike said as he strode down the sidewalk toward his car.**


	7. Callbacks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N: Hey guys! Here is the next chapter of MtB:Track 5. I hope you like it! Also, a lot of thanks goes out to Cate Morgan (Youtube) who did the Bye, Bye, Bye dance in her chair and she was fantastic so I know Artie could do it. So, if you know Cate or have seen any of her videos, thank her for me!**   
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> 
> ProTIP: La Danza Casa = The Dance House
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> **
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> **Enjoy!**
> 
>  
> 
> **Happy Reading!**
> 
>  
> 
> **And as always, COMMENT and KUDOS = LOVE!**
> 
> ****  
> _Disclaimer: I do NOT own: Glee, Instant Star, Degrassi, Beverly Hills 90210, Shake It Up, any characters, places, words or phrases from any of the aforementioned television shows, Bye, Bye, Bye by *Nsync, Justin Timberlake or anything else you can find outside of fandom._  
>  ****
> 
>  ** THIS FANFICTION IS UNBETA'D BUT PROOFREAD. ANY REMAINING MISTAKES ARE UNINTENTIONAL. APOLOGIES FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE. **
> 
>   
> 

* * *

**"** _**Hello?"** _

_**"Hello, this is Sadie Harrison-Mills."** _

_**"Alright."** _

_**"Congratulations! You've got a callback. Be sure to refer to your sheet. Don't be late."** _

* * *

_Darius Confessional_

_IT'S CALLBACKS, BABY! That's right! We are_ _back_ _in sunny Miami for callbacks and I gotta say a brotha is excited! We went all over the country_ _for six months_ _and scooped up the_ _forty_ _most talented_ _male_ _vocalist_ _s_ _this country has to offer and now...well now I just gotta make sure these fools know their right from their left._

It was 5:30 in the morning when Artie arrived at La Danza Casa just as a few other guys got there. One he recognized as Ty, the guy he met at his audition.

"Sup ya'll," Artie said as Ty held the door open. "I'm Artie.

"I'm Mike and that's David," the slim Asian man said.

"I'm Ty," the guy at the door said.

"Hold up," a voice called out as Ty was about to shut the door.

"What's up man? I'm Ty," he said pushing the door open.

"Not much man, I'm Sam, this is Ryder," the tall blonde said. The six of them exchanged pleasantries and proceeded down the long hallway. They could hear _Bye, Bye, Bye by *Nsync_ blasting from inside the room. Mike pulled the door opened and inside were about 30 more guys. They joined in the fray and watched two beautiful women dance through _Bye, Bye, Bye_. By the time the song ended, the last four guys had arrived.

The shorter brunette turned off the mp3 player and returned to the front of the room with the tall blonde.

"I'm Bianca DeSousa," the brunette said. "I'm the head choreographer and this is my assistant choreographer, Brittany S. Pierce. So, listen up because I don't like to repeat myself," she said as she waved them all to the front. "We're gonna teach you the steps, then we're gonna do it half speed then full speed," Bianca told them. "You'll get an hour break and then you'll have to show what you've learned to the boss man."

"You brought other shoes right?" Brittany asked pointing to someone.

"Me?" the guy said.

"Yeah," she answered.

"What's your name?" Bianca asked looking at the guy with the mohawk.

"Noah but call me Puck," he said.

"That's stupid but you didn't answer her question," the brunette said.

"I did," he said pulling a pair of Jordan's out of his bag.

"I wore the appropriate dance shoe," the tall curly hair dude beside Puck said.

"What's your name?" Brittany asked.

"Jesse," he said.

"No one like a suck up, Jesse," Brittany said. "Ok, you guys get ready!"

"We're starting in five!" Bianca called out.

Everyone started stretching and taking off jackets and pulling on tanks and sneakers.

"Alright, you guys ready?" Brittany called out.

"Line up!" Bianca yelled. "5, 6, 7, 8!" she yelled as she and Brittany began to teach the boys the dance step by step. They learned each step then put each section of steps together until they had the whole dance down. "Alright, take fifteen! When we come back, we're going half speed!"

Artie hadn't been worried about learning the dances. He knew that he could do whatever was thrown at him but he had to admit that he was grateful that Brittany had taken time to put her ass in a chair and teach him the dance step by step. He know that some of the other dudes were looking at him and his chair but fuck them. He was a bad ass, they were just jealous that he moved better in his chair then they did on their feet.

Puck wasn't the best dancer out there but he was better than some of these losers. He knew that all he had to do was be better than most of these lames and he'd make the cut.

Blaine was proud of himself. He was doing well and so was Sebastian which wasn't all that exciting but who cares about him? Blaine knew that he was going nail this and make it to the next round.

Sam was worried. He was a suck ass dancer and that fact was shining like a beacon in the night in this room. Even the guys that weren't that great at dancing were better than him.

Mike was excited. Dance! He was in his element and he was was all about shining and making it to the next round. He knew that a lot of people were struggling so he decided to try and make this audition fair.

"Hey, Sam right?" Mike said approaching him.

"Yeah, you're Mike?" Sam said.

"Yeah, you need some help getting the steps?" Mike asked.

"What?" Sam asked, his eyebrow quirked.

"I noticed that you and a few of the other guys were having trouble with the steps," Mike said. "I just thought if I could help you then we would all be on an even playing field."

"Why would you do that?" Sam questioned as he walked with Mike over to a small group of six other guys.

"You guys must have some kind vocal talent if Darius picked you to be here," Mike said. "It would a shame to see you go home just because you got tripped up."

"Thanks, man," Sam said. "That's cool."

"It's nothing," Mike smiled. "Alright let's do this, we've only got a little bit of time," Mike told them as he began to teach them the steps.

_Bianca Confessional_

_I think Darius is going to happy with the turn out today. There are some really talented dancer here but there are some really horrible ones too. That Mike guy showed some real initiative. I'm sure Darius can appreciate that. I think that he should be able to narrow it down out of this bunch. If not, I guess it's back to the drawing board for his ass._

"Alright! Half speed!" Bianca yelled from the front of the mirrored room. All the guys danced for a few hours at half speed. The guys from Mike's group showed marked improve which was a good thing because not one of them had realized how fast _Bye, Bye, Bye_ actually was until Bianca yelled, "FULL SPEED!"

As they were arm pumping their way through the second hour of full speed mode, Darius and Sadie entered the dance studio. Sadie turned off the music and Darius faced the sweaty group of men.

"How ya doing, fellas?" he grinned. "Aight, listen up. I'm gonna watch you run through the dance twice. After the second time, ya'll are gonna go down the hall to the practice room and B., Britt, Sadie and myself are going eliminate twenty of you." Everyone looked around at each other. "You heard right. I hope you didn't unpack your bags 'cause some of ya'll going home."

"You ready?" Bianca asked. Darius nodded. Bianca nodded at Brittany who started the song.

 _"Hey, hey!" Justin Timberlake's voice boomed th_ _r_ _oughout the room._ _The beat dropped and the *Nsync sang, "Bye, bye, bye...bye bye!"_

They all danced through the song twice while Darius and his committee whispered to each other and Sadie made notes. At the end of the second time through, Britt turned off the music.

"Aight fellas. Head down the hall. There's water and fruit," Darius said as they exited the room slowly.

* * *

"So what ya'll think?" Darius asked once the room was empty.

"I think we can get twenty out of this," Sadie said.

"I agree," Bianca said.

"Aight, who's your first pick?" Darius inquired.

"Mike," Bianca and Brittany said simultaneously.

"Why?" Sadie asked.

"Well, he's super great," Brittany told her.

"And during their breaks he was helping guys get the steps down," Bianca said.

"What?" Darius asked.

"Yeah, we saw him," Bianca nodded.

"Hmph," Darius said. Sadie wrote his name down and taped it to the mirror, name side down. "Who else?"

"Artie," Sadie said.

"I agree," Bianca said. "He worked it in that chair."

"Yeah," Brittany said. "I only had to show him the chair moves twice before he had them down."

"You don't have to pull my arm," Darius chuckled as Sadie wrote his name down and taped it to the mirror.

"What about Sam?" Darius asked.

"If you had asked when we first started out this morning I would have said hell no," Bianca said, "but since Mike has been helping him, I vote yes."

"Me too," Brittany added. "Same with that Puck guy."

"Yeah," Bianca agreed.

"Which one is that?" he asked.

"Mohawk," Bianca said.

"Oh, alright, put them down Sadie," Darius said. Sadie wrote their names down and taped them up as well.

"I liked Blaine," Brittany said.

"Short kid, curly hair?" Sadie asked. Brittany nodded yes.

"Put him down," Darius said. His wife wrote Blaine's name down and they continued to discuss. By the end, they had all twenty names. Sadie went down the hall and brought the boys back. "Aight fellas, first, I want to thank you all for coming out. I know you had a hard day so I'm gonna cut to chase," Darius informed them. "First, Mike," he said pointing at him. "I gotta question for you man."

"Yeah?" Mike said, worry seeping into his voice.

"Why'd you help some of these guys out today?"

"Oh, uh, I just figured that if you picked them it was because they had vocal talent and I thought it would suck if they got eliminated just because they couldn't get dance steps to a pop song."

"So you taught them the dance?" Darius questioned.

"I just wanted to even out the playing field a little bit," Mike explained. "I know I couldn't make them look like pros in the short time I had with them but I know that I could at least get them to a place where they weren't missing beats and knocking into people," Mike said. "I at least wanted to give everyone a chance to be looked at by you."

"Cool man, really cool," Darius beamed. "Ok, ya'll ready?" he asked clapping his hand together. Sadie handed him a clipboard and she went and stood by the mirror.

"First up," Darius said with a long pause, "Mike!" David and two other guys clomped him on the shoulders and pushed him forward. "Artie," he said. Artie fist bumped Ty and rolled over beside Mike, who shook his hand. "Sam," Darius called. Darius smiled at the pure shock on Sam's face. He truly couldn't believe that he had been picked to advance. "Puck," he said. Puck walked forward, turned and gave the rest of the larger group a crotch chop before he joined the other three. "Blaine," Darius called. Blaine beamed as he joined the group up front. After everything he had been through he was so happy to have picked. Darius also called, Ryder, Sebastian, Jesse, much to Puck's dismay, David, Ty and ten other guys. "Aight, that's it. Thank ya'll that didn't make it," Darius said. "Don't give up on your dream. Just because this wasn't the way to that dream doesn't mean that you won't get that dream. Keep hustling," Darius said as the rejects exited the room. "Congratulations," he said before he made his own exit.

"Alright, you need to be here tomorrow at 7am. No excuses," Sadie said handing each of them a CD. "You have until tomorrow morning to learn this song," she told them. "Live it, learn it, love it," she said before she made her exit.

The remaining twenty gathered their things. Once they were out side of La Danza Casa, they all shook hands. Artie and Ty went one way toward their respective apartments and everyone else when the other way toward their hotels. They didn't have time for a congratulatory drink, they had a song to learn and an early call.

_Darius Confessional_

_These boys are dope! I'll tell you! This group is really coming together. Tomorrow is the real test though. I'm testin' everything. Vocals, dance moves, personality and how they work in a group. It ought to be good. Stay tuned ya'll 'cause something tells me that shit is about to get real!_


	8. Callbacks: Day 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N: Hey ya'll! So here is the next chapter of MtB. There is a lot of stuff packed in to this one. I know some of you are probably wondering when Kurt and Mercedes and other characters show up. Be patient. After this one, more people will be introduced. Trust me, my lovelies. Enjoy!**
> 
> **Happy Reading!**
> 
> **And as always, COMMENTS and KUDOS = LOVE!**
> 
> **_Disclaimer: I do NOT own: Glee, Making the Band, Instant Star, Degrassi, Mitchie Torres (Camp Rock), Mary Santiago (Another Cinderella Story), Ryan Evans (High School Musical Trilogy), Mr. Rogers (Mr Rogers' Neighborhood), Forever by Chris Brown, Burn by Usher, Wake Up Lovin' You by Craig Morgan, Charlene by Anthony Hamilton, Alone by Marques Houston or anything else you can find outside of fandom._  
>  **
> 
> **
> 
> ProTIP: The songs in this chapter are great. If you don't know them, you should check them out.
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> **
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> 
> **
> 
> THIS FANFICTION IS UNBETA'D BUT PROOFREAD. ANY REMAINING MISTAKES ARE UNINTENTIONAL. APOLOGIES FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE.
> 
> **
> 
>   
> 

_Darius Confessional_

_Day two! It's time to get down to business. These dudes have so much work to do because little do they know by the end of the day I'll have my band and five of them will have their dreams come true. Ahhh! Making dreams come true! This brotha is in the business of that! These fellas better be ready! Today is going to be serious._

* * *

When the boys arrived back at La Danza Casa, Darius, Sadie, Bianca, Brittany and three people they didn't know were waiting. Darius smiled at them as everyone began to stretch.

"Morning fellas," he beamed. "Ya'll ready for this?" he asked clapping his hands together. "Ok here we go. Mike, Sam, and since we have two Davids, I want David L.A., Ryder and Thad. Ya'll are group one. Artie, Puck, Jesse, Ty and Peter; group two. Blaine, Sebastian, Sav, Wes and Austin, group three. Devon, Jeff, Nick, David and Joe, ya'll are group four," Darius read off of his tablet. "Now you won't stay in these groups all day but for right now. This is what I want. Bianca?"

"Alright guys. So these are my other assistants. Mitchie Torres, Mary Santiago and Ryan Evans." Each of them waved at the mention of their names. "We're gonna run though the dance, then you'll do it in groups for D." They all nodded their understanding.

Sadie pressed play on the mp3 player and _Forever by Chris Brown_ began. Everyone watched as Bianca and her team moves seamlessly to the beat. After the first run though, they did it again, this time Brittany sat in a wheelchair. After the second time, the four groups learned the dance.

"Alright, I want to hear...group four first. Everyone sing every word. I want to hear those vocals, fellas," Darius said. "I know it'll be breathy but so? Sing," he said as Sadie started the music again.

The five guys of group four stepped forward and performed for Darius and his committee. When the song was over, Darius nodded to Sadie who said something in his ear.

"Group two," he said as Artie, Puck and their group came to the middle of the room. She started the song again and they began to perform. Artie didn't have the same problem with breath as the other guys did but it was still hard for him. They didn't move perfectly but they weren't terrible either. Puck couldn't understand how that guy Peter had made it this far. He had two left feet.

"Group one," Darius called. Mike, Sam and the others stepped forward. Sadie started the song and they began to dance. When the song ended, Darius had an impressed look on his face. "Alright, group three," he said. Blaine lead his group to the center of the room. When the song began they started their performance. When it ended, Darius surveyed the groups. Sadie did something on his tablet and handed it back to him. He looked at it, nodded and turned his attention back to the groups. "Nice job, ya'll. The dance portion is over. After this break, the next portion will begin," Darius informed them.

The guys sat down, hydrated and snacked on whatever fruit and healthy food had been provided. No one knew what to expect in the next portion of the day.

"Guys, breaks over," Sadie announced. Everyone put their drinks and food away and turned to face the front of the room.

"Mike, Artie, Blaine and Devon come here." The four of them approached Darius. "Here," he said as Sadie handed each of them a zip drive. "Take these, take your groups and go down to the practice rooms. Learn these songs. You've got two hours," Darius said as they went back to their groups. The forty contestants left the room. Two of Darius' security guys brought in a table, four chairs and a laptop. They all sat down. "Alright, let's see how these guys work in a group," he said.

"And maybe we'll get to see their personality's a little more," Sadie added. Darius nodded and picked the video feed from practice room one.

* * *

 _"_ _Alright, so we're supposed to learn this song," Mike said. "Whatever it is."_

_"Well, put it in," David L.A. said. Mike slid the zip drive into the computer that was in the room and **Burn by Usher** began. They let the song play through. When it was over Mike turned to the group._

_"So, who wants what?" he asked._

_"I think that we should all sing the choir together," Sam said._

_"I agree," Ryder said._

_"I think Sam should do the speaking part in the beginning," Mike added._

_"Yeah and I think Mike and I should do the bridge and the break down at the end," Thad commented._

_"Ok, what about the verses?" Mike said, writing down everything they discussed._

_"I think David should do the first one," Sam said._

_"Ok, I think Ryder should do the next one," David added._

_"Great," Mike said. "Everyone know the lyrics?" They all nodded. "Then let's get to work," he said as he started the song again._

"Not bad," Darius said as he clicked out of the video feed.

"They all worked pretty well together," Sadie said.

"Yeah, no one was too..." Brittany began.

"Annoying?" Bianca finished for her, causing the group to laugh.

"Alright, room two," Darius said clicking open the feed.

* * *

_"So, we gotta learn whatever this song is," Artie said as he rolled over to the laptop that sat in the room._

_"Why'd Darius give it to you?" Jesse asked as he took to one of the stools in the room._

_"I don't know. He called my name, gave me the zip," Artie answered. "I don't control that man."_

_"Whatever," Jesse muttered._

_"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Puck questioned._

_"This just seems like a waste of time," Jesse told him._

_"Why?" Ty asked sitting on the stool beside Puck._

_"This is an audition for a vocal harmony group," Jesse told the group. They all just looked at each other confused._

_"So?" Peter asked finally._

_"So, what is he even doing here?" he asked pointing at Artie. Artie looked over his shoulder._

_"What?" he asked shocked. "I know yo ass ain't talking about me."_

_"I don't see anyone else in the room who is taking the spot of someone who deserves this chance," Jesse said nonchalantly. "You're here taking the opportunity for someone else's dream to come true with legs that don't work."_

_"Jesse!" Puck yelled. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"_

_"For real," Ty said. "Who says shit like that?"_

_"Dicks," Peter said. "He's just jealous."_

_"Of what?" Jesse laughed wryly. "Of a guy in glasses and legs that don't work? No. I'm a performer. I'm better than him on all levels."_

_"You gon be on my level if you keep talking that shit," Artie said angrily. "You don't know shit about me AND fuck you. If Darius thought I was a waste of time, I wouldn't be here. Don't hate because you think that he likes me more than you," Artie spat. "Which I'm sure he does because he can tell that for all the good things about you, your voice, your dance moves, every time you open your mouth bullshit comes out."_

_"Can we just get to fucking work?" Puck asked, punching Jesse in the arm. "We've only got two hours."_

_"Right," Artie said rolling his eyes at Jesse before he started the song. They all look at each other as **Wake Up Lovin' You by Craig Morgan** played through._

_"I think that I should sing the first verse and the bridge," Jesse said when the song was over._

_"Or Puck should sing the first verse and Ty and Peter will do the choir. You'll do the second one and Puck will join them in the chorus after your verse, and I'll do the bridge and then we'll all sing the chorus to the end together," Artie said._

_"No, I like what I said," Jesse said._

_"Too bad it's not up for fucking debate, man," Artie said._

_"That's not fair!" Jesse yelled._

_"Neither is you picking the best parts of the song," Ty commented._

_"Yeah but you did that shit," Peter added. Jesse rolled his eyes._

_"I don't know this song but I looked up the lyrics," Puck said._

_"Alright, cool. "Let's get started," Artie said as he started the song again._

"Uh, what the hell is wrong with that Jesse guy?" Sadie asked as Darius closed the video feed.

"Peter was right," Bianca said, "he's a dick."

"Let's just move on," Darius said his eyebrows furrowed as he clicked into the third video feed.

* * *

_"We're supposed to learn this song," Blaine said holding up the zip drive. "What is it?" Sebastian asked. "I'm not going to sing anything stupid."_

_"Darius picked it," Sav said. "It's probably not stupid._

_"Anyway," Blaine said plugging the zip into the computer._ _**Charlene by Anthony Hamilton** _ _began._

 _"So, I'll sing the verses and you guys and break up which one of the choruses you sing," Sebastian said_ _when the song ended._

_"That's not fair," Wes and Austin said simultaneously._

_"Sebastian, you can't just hog the whole song," Blaine said._

_"I was just trying to save you guys from embarrassment," he said with a shrug._

_"No one asked you to be their_ _savior_ _," Blaine spat. "Listen, I'll sing the bridge, Sebastian, you can sing the first verse, Austin you do the second one, we'll sing the choruses together."_

_"Yeah, you should sing the ad-libs," Sav added, his hand on Blaine's shoulder. The rest of the group, minus Sebastian, nodded their agreement._

_"Ok," Blaine smiled, happy that they had confidence in him. "_ _We should get started," he said as he started the music again._

"So, the two biggest douchbags in America found their way into my competition," Darius said closing the video.

"It looks that way," Sadie chuckled.

"There may be other guys who suck in these groups so far but Jesse and Sebastian are a head above the fucking rest," Bianca said.

"How'd they grow up like that?" Brittany asked. "They are not being the people that Mr. Rogers thought they could be," she said causing the other three to laugh loudly.

"Let's just look at this last group," Darius chuckled as he opened the last video. The group got along alright except that guy Joe thought he was the second coming so when it came time to divide up the parts of _Alone by Marques Houston_ he tried to hog the songs after listing a laundry list of reasons why the other three members of his group paled in comparison to him. Darius and the committee decided that even if Joe was the greatest singer they had ever heard he would _never_ make it into this band. "Alright, Sadz, go get 'em," he said as the security guys came and took the table and laptop way. They placed five stools in the middle of the room.

When Sadie returned with the forty guys they all just stood behind the stools and waited. None of them had any idea that the committee had just watched them.

"Have a seat," Sadie told them.

"So, group four, you're up," Darius said as he waved Devon forward, his hand held out. Devon placed the zip in his hand and Sadie popped it in to the radio. The five man group took to the stools and waited for the song to begin. The committee made notes while they sang and when _Alone_ was over the room was silent for a few moments. "Thank you," he said, "Group two let's go.

Artie rolled over to Darius and gave him the zip drive. When he came back, Puck had moved the stool in the middle for his chair. Puck held his fist out to Artie and he bumped it. When the alarm clock sound started at the beginning of _Wake Up Lovin' You_ , Puck took a deep breath and started to sing. As they sang through the song, Darius became more and more impressed. When the song was over, he clapped.

"Thank you. Group one," Darius said waving Mike to the front. He handed the zip over and returned to the stools. When _Burn_ began Sam did the speaking part with feeling. Darius again had an impression look on his face as the song progressed. He clapped again, "Nice, group three, let's go," he said as Blaine jogged to the front and handed over the zip drive.

When _Charlene_ started Darius quirked his eyebrow. He was interested to see what this group did with this song. When the song ended, he nodded at them. "Alright, thank you. Now we're going to mix the groups up. Teach each other the songs."

Sadie read off the lists of the new groups and everyone did as they were told. After forty-five minutes, Darius had all the groups preform again. Then he mixed them again and they preformed again. When Sam, Mike, Blaine, Puck and Artie were all in a group together singing, _Charlene_ , Darius could hardly contain himself. They were fantastic. He couldn't wait to get to the deliberation part of the day.

"Thank all of ya'll for your work. We're gonna step out. When we come back we're going to narrow this thing down," he informed them. Sam raised his hand. "Yeah man?" Darius asked, shaking his head.

"Down to how many?" he asked.

"Five," he told him as he, Sadie, Brittany and Bianca all left the room. The forty of them all looked at each other. The tension in the room the palpable and the silence was heavy. They all knew that whenever the committee returned that five and only five of the people in the room lives were going to change forever and the other thirty-five would just have to be thankful for the opportunity.

_**TWO HOURS LATER** _

When Darius, Sadie, Bianca and Brittany returned all of the contestants rose to their feet. This was it.

"Alright fellas. This took a lot of arguing and consideration but the choice has been made," Darius told them. "The committee picked but the final decision was mine. G Major is my baby and my money and I wasn't going to pick a group that wouldn't love my baby and not make me any money. So with that said, when I call your name, come up front." Everyone was still nervous. They had no idea how these eliminations were going to work. "Jesse, Sebastian and Joe," he read off of his tablet. The three of them beamed and moved to the front of the room. "The three of you are..." Darius paused, "going the fuck home. You are three of the most horrible people I've ever encountered and I'm done with you. Get out!"

The entire room beamed with delight. Everyone at one point or another through out the day had been in a group with one of the three of them and they had all come to the consensus that they all three sucked ass. They waved goodbye as the three shocked mean were pulled from the room by security.

"Alright, now that the trash has been dealt with, let's get down to making this band," Darius smiled brightly. "The next five names I call are it. Fellas you ready?" he asked. When he was answered with silence he continued, "Ok, Mike, Blaine, Sam, Puck and Artie." None of them moved. They could not believe that Darius Mills had just said their names. It wasn't possible. It was a dream. "Come on fellas, up front!" Darius laughed as other people pushed them out of crowd. Darius shook each of their hands before turning back to the rest of the room. "Thank ya'll again for coming out. Don't stop hustling. Keep your heads up and keep grinding," he told him as the security wrangled them and led them from the room.

"Congratulations!" Brittany and Bianca told each of them as they hugged them. "We'll see you guys later," Bianca said as she and Brittany left.

_Darius Confessional _

_I GOT MY BAND BABY! Puck, Artie, Blaine, Sam and Mike. The five most talented dudes in the country are now apart of the G Major family. I got a good ass feelin' about this group. A good ass feelin'!_

"Alright, how ya'll feelin'?" Darius asked.

"Shocked," Sam smiled.

"Happy," Mike beamed.

"Incredible," Blaine said.

"Bad ass," Puck said.

"Like a boss," Artie said.

"Good, good. Keep that feeling," he told them. "Alright here," he said as Sadie handed each of them a packet. "That's got plane tickets, some keys and some other shit in it. That packet is your responsibility, don't lose it," he said seriously. "In four months, I want ya'll asses in New York ready to work." They nodded. "When I see you I want you to look like you are about to be in a vocal harmony group."

"What's that mean?" Sam asked, looking down at himself.

"I mean, I've got a list of shit I want you to follow to the letter," Darius said as his wife handed him some papers. "Mike, don't change anything except which from Cons to Jordan's or Shocks," he said as Mike nodded and he handed him the paper. "Artie, I don't know what is going on with you man but no khakis, no sweater vests. The next time I see you it better be jeans, a button up and a vest. Switch the saddle shoes to some kind of dress loafer or something," Darius said handing him the paper. "Blaine, you look alright. I just don't want to see your ankles and the loafers gotta go," Blaine nodded and took his paper. "Sam, are you a natural blonde, man?"

"No," Sam answered.

"I told you," Sadie said.

"Then go with your natural color and kill the plaid," Darius said handing him the paper.

"Puck, man. Keep the mohawk, lose the leather cut-off vest, go with a leather blazer, plain white t-shirt and keep the boots and jeans," Darius said handing his the paper.

"A leather blazer?" Puck asked, his eyebrow raised.

"Yes fool. A leather blazer. It says bad ass without saying biker gang," he told him. "Now listen, these are the rules. Follow the rules. If you don't one of these other thirty-two dudes who just left will happily take your motherfucking place," Darius told them. "We clear?" They all nodded. "Alright, fellas. See ya'll in New York," he said as he and Sadie exited the room.


	9. Welcome to New York

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N: Hey guys! So here is the latest update for MtB. I hope you guys enjoy it. This chapter is full of getting to know the boys. This is the first time we get confessionals from people other than Darius and hopefully a look into the kind of relationship the boys are going to have with each other.**
> 
> **So Enjoy!**
> 
> **Happy Reading!**
> 
> **And as always, COMMENTS and KUDOS = LOVE!**
> 
> **  
> _Disclaimer: I do NOT own: Glee, Instant Star, any characters, places, words or phrases from either show, New York City, Brooklyn or anything else you can find outside of fandom._  
>  **
> 
> ****
> 
> ** THIS FANFICTION IS UNBETA'D BUT PROOFREAD BY HUMANS. ANY REMAINING MISTAKES ARE UNINTENTIONAL. APOLOGIES FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE. **
> 
>   
> 

_Darius Confessional_

_Here we are, back in New York City. I got my band and now it's time to put they asses to work. These five guys are magic vocally and visually and I don't care about much else. Play time's over folk! Shit just got real._

* * *

When Artie arrived outside of the luxury apartment building in Brooklyn, he couldn't help but smile as the motorized ramp of the van, lowered him to the ground. One of Darius' security guards grabbed his bags and held the door open for him. The lobby was grandiose; Artie was impressed as shit. When they got to the elevator the guy pressed the up bottom. Once inside, he pulled a key out and put it in the slot, turned it then hit the P button. The doors closed and up they went.

Excitement began to rise inside of Artie as the square box rose and rose. When the doors dinged open, Artie rolled down the hallway and there was a door on the right and one on the left. The one on the left had a piece of paper taped to it.

"Don't worry about getting settled, just wait for me. Darius," the security guard read.

"Cool," Artie said. The guard reached in his pocket and handed him a plastic key card. Artie slid it through the lock, turned the knob and pushed the door open. He rolled inside and stopped. His eyes wide, taking in all the sights around him. "Hot damn," he whispered to himself.

_Artie Confessional_

_I made the damn band, ya'll! You know that's right! I'm so happy. This is everything I wanted, needed, dreamed of. It's amazing. I just can't wait to get started on everything. Recording, performing making that dollar, dollar bill ya'll!_

"I'm out," the guy said.

"Thanks, man," Artie said as the man shut the door. The living room was sunken but much to Artie's delight, there was a ramp to access it. He rolled down, set his wheelchair as the end of the white leather couch and hoisted himself onto the couch and waited.

* * *

When Sam had returned to Memphis to inform his family about making the band and having to move to New York they were happy for him but at the same time saddened by the news.

His mother and sister cried because they were going to miss him but his brother and father, while upset were excited about the prospect of being able to come and visit him in New York.

Sam though was ultra excited. Yes, he hated to see his mom and sister cry but this was the opportunity of a lifetime and he wasn't going to let it pass him by. Beside, Tennessee isn't that far from New York City. He quit his job and packed his things and caught his flight to JFK.

When he arrived outside of the fancy apartment building in Brooklyn, he was in awe. He went in and headed straight for the elevator. Hanging inside, above the buttons was a key. Next to it was a sign that said **'Use Me'**. He took the key, slid it into the key hole and pressed the P button that was next to it. The doors dinged closed and up he went.

When they opened, he walked down the brightly lit hallway. He had two options. Door one or two. The second door had a note attached. He read it, grabbed one of the plastic key cards that were also taped there and slid it though the lock. Sam pushed the door open and stepped inside.

"Well shit," he said aloud as he placed his bag by the door.

Sam Confessional

_I'm here! Me! A country boy with big city dreams. I don't know how to process these feeling I'm having. All I know is that I can't wait until we get down to it. Making music, making people happy. And of course making a little money wouldn't hurt._

"It's fire right?" a voice below him said. Looking down he spotted Artie sitting on the couch reading a magazine.

"Yeah! What's up Artie?" Sam asked as he descended the couple of steps it took to get to the sunken living room.

"Chillin'," Artie answered.

"How long you been here?"

"About an hour."

"Oh, cool. Just you?" Sam questioned.

"Yeah so far," Artie told him. He threw Sam a magazine and they both began to read as they waited.

* * *

Blaine had had a stressful time getting his things in order for his move to New York. His ex had come around and it just wasn't fun but now that he was sitting in the blacked out SUV next to one of his bandmates he didn't have a care in the world.

xxx

Mike was excited. He and Tina had agreed that long distance didn't exist because of the little thing called the internet so all he had to worry about was his new job. Now that he was sitting beside Blaine on the way to their new place his excitement and worry were intermingling but it was a wonderful feeling.

When they arrived outside of the impressive building, they each grabbed their bags and headed inside toward the elevator. They used the key that was hanging there and headed up. Once they got to the door, Blaine read the note,

"Don't worry about getting settled, just wait for me. Darius."

"Alright, well, here's your key," Mike said handing him one of the key cards. Blaine beamed as Mike slid the key though the lock. He pushed the door open and they stepped inside.

"Damn!" Blaine said.

_Blaine Confessional _

_I made the band! After everything that I went through; I made it! I'm really excited about this. The world is finally going to get a chance to see what I've always known. I was born to do this._

Mike was speechless as he looked around the luxuriant apartment.

_Mike Confessional _

_I never thought that I would have made it this far. I honestly thought that I'd audition they'd say good try and I'd end up moving to Korea and launching a career there. This is beyond my wildest dreams. I'm so ready to do this!_

"What's up, ya'll?" Artie called out.

"Hey!" Blaine said as he descended the steps into the sunken living room, followed closely by Mike.

"Hey guys," Mike said as he took a seat beside Sam.

"How are ya'll?" Sam asked, setting his magazine to the side.

"Excited!" Blaine answered.

"Same," Mike answered. "How long you guys been here?"

"Me, about an hour," Sam said. "Artie, two hours."

"Oh, so we've only got one more guy," Blaine said looking around at other three guys. They all nodded and continued to chat.

* * *

Puck woke up, showered, ate breakfast, had sex with his girlfriend, grabbed his bags, hailed a cab and headed over to the address Sadie had emailed him last month. He paid the cabbie, grabbed it bags out of the trunk and went inside. He got inside the elevator and used the key that was hanging there and headed upstairs. When he got to the door, he read the note, grabbed the last key card that was there and slid it through the lock. Puck pushed the door open, pulled his things inside then stopped.

"Fuck me," he muttered as his eyes feasted on the opulent penthouse.

_Puck Confessional _

_Puckzilla is about to break out. I knew that I was going to make the band. I'm hot, talented, awesome and hot. The world is not ready for me and what I'm about to bring. Bring it!_

"Awesome, right?" Sam asked interrupting Puck's gazing.

"Yeah, what's up?" he said joining them in the living room.

"Not much, just waiting," Artie said fist bumping Puck.

"So, I think we should get to know each other," Blaine commented. "We're going to be working and living together."

"That's a good idea," Mike said. "I'm Mike. I'm from L.A., I have a girlfriend and I was a choreographer before this."

"For like famous people?" Sam asked.

"Nah, just like off, a hundred times off Broadway shows," Mike told them. "My girlfriend, Tina, is in a lot of them."

"That's cool. I'm Sam, I'm from Memphis, no girlfriend and I used to work at a place called _CB &J Saloon_. It was like _Coyote Ugly_ but with dudes," Sam said.

"So you danced on a bar for money?" Puck laughed.

"Yeah. Made enough in tips alone to buy my brother and sister each a car," Sam said, a little annoyed at the judgment Puck was throwing his way.

"What does the CBJ stand for?" Blaine asked changing the subject.

"Country, Blues and Jazz," Sam answered.

"Cool," Blaine smiled. "Ok, well, I'm Blaine and I'm from Seattle. I'm gay, no boyfriend though and I used to work at _Johnny Rockets."_

"I've never been to _Johnny Rockets_ ," Artie said. "Is it fun?"

"I think so. I mean if the wait staff breaking out into random song and dance isn't your thing then I'd stir clear," Blaine laughed.

"That's seems awesome!" Mike smiled. "Do they have one of those in New York?"

"Yeah," Blaine said. "I've been to it. It's so much better than the one back home."

"We'll have to go," Sam said.

"Pass," Puck said. "While it seems fun, I don't want to spend my lunch or whatever listening to people sing songs that were fucking cool in the 80s."

"You don't have to come," Blaine spat.

"I'm not going to stay home alone," Puck spat back.

"Anyway," Mike said when Blaine opened his mouth again. "What about you?"

"Me? I'm Puck. I literally live like fifty blocks from here," he told the group.

"You should have been the first one here," Blaine said annoyed.

"But I wasn't," Puck said, cutting his eyes at him. "Anyway, I've got a girlfriend, Lauren and I used to busk in Central Park and do karaoke at random bars around the city."

"That's lofty," Blaine muttered.

"Fuck you dude," Puck said. "Not all of us can get a job serenading the blue hair set with _Bella Notte."_

 _"_ Did you make a lot busking?" Mike asked, trying to diffuse the situation.

"More than most," Puck answered.

"Well, shit I'm Artie," the glasses clad man said. "I'm from Miami, no girlfriend and yes I need the chair. I used to work at this club called, _La M_ _ú_ _sica_ ," he told them.

"What'd you do there?" Blaine asked.

"I was the bouncer," Artie answered, his face and tone serious, causing Sam, Mike and Puck to laugh.

"Really?" Blaine questioned causing Sam, Mike and Puck to laugh harder.

"Nah man," Artie laughed, "I was the DJ."

"Oh," Blaine said blushing slightly. He hadn't wanted the guys to know this soon that sometimes he had dumb moment or two.

"So, what else?" Mike asked taking the attention off of Blaine.

"Why don't you have a girlfriend?" Artie asked Sam.

"I don't know. I haven't had one is a long time," he said. "She cheated and I guess I just decided to focus on trying to get my career off the ground instead of girls. Why don't you have one?"

"Because I have several," Artie told him.

"You have more than one girlfriend?" Blaine asked for clarity.

"Nah, I have more than one girl I'm seeing," Artie explained. "I'm fine, I gotta spread this shit around," he said his hands flourishing down his body as if showcasing his wares.

"That's gross, man," Mike laughed.

"Whatever," Artie shrugged. "Hater."

"Why don't you have a boyfriend, Blaine?" Mike asked chuckling.

"Long story," Blaine said looking down.

"Apparently, we've got time," Sam said, "so spill it."

"My ex and I broke up like a year ago now," he began. "It didn't end great and I just can't seem to shake the guy."

"Does he want to get back together?" Sam asked.

"More now then before," Blaine said, "but so? After what he did, he'd sooner get me to eat my shoe."

"What'd he do?" Puck asked. Blaine cut his eyes at him. He knew that if anyone in the room was going to ask his business it was going to be Puck.

"He caused me to miss the Seattle audition," Blaine said.

"Because?" Artie asked.

"Because I was in jail," Blaine whispered.

"Did you say jail?" Sam asked, eyes wide.

"Yeah," Blaine said.

"Bad ass," Puck said.

"For what, man?" Mike asked.

"Well, it's goes back before that. When Dave, that's my ex, and I were still dating we went to this club and he was flirting with this guy, I caught him, we got into a fight, I left," Blaine said. "I had been drinking, he was DD that night, and I got picked up for DUI," he explained.

"Ok but that's the weekend in the drunk tank," Sam said. "I've done that, so?"

"Well, I got a court date, you know," Blaine said.

"Yeah?" Mike said.

"Well, for whatever reason, maybe he just felt really dickish that day or something, Dave changed my court date on the white board calender we had in the kitchen of our apartment," Blaine said.

"Ohh," Artie said in understanding.

"So, the next week, my bail bondsman and a cop showed up at my apartment to pick me up because I missed my court date and my bond was revoked," Blaine informed them. "I got sentenced to six months and I missed the audition."

"Well fuck that dude," Puck said. "What a lame."

"Took the words right out of my mouth," Artie said.

"Anyway, enough about me, Mike, how long have you and Tina been together?" Blaine asked.

"Four years," Mike smiled. "We dated a little in high school but it wasn't until we both came back home from college that we reconnected."

"That's sweet," Blaine smiled.

"I think so," Mike chuckled. "What about you Puck? How long you and your girl been together?"

"Six years," Puck said. "We're actually engaged."

"That's great!" Blaine said excitedly.

"When's the wedding?" Sam asked.

"In a couple of years," Puck said. "We both want to get settled into this new thing in my life before we take the big plunge."

"That's cool, man," Artie nodded.

"Congrats," Sam said, holding his hand out to Puck.

"Thanks, dude," Puck said shaking it.

"Yeah, congratulation," Blaine said smiling.

"Thanks," Puck said.

"Same from us," Mike said pointing from himself to Artie.

"Thanks, I appreciate it," Puck told them. It was the truth. He didn't have a lot of guy friends and while he didn't know where he stood on Blaine yet, even though he earned some major points by having gone to jail, he wad happy about being in this band. He hoped that he was gaining four new friends.

A comfortable silence fell over the room. It was broken when the door opened and Darius, Sadie and two bulky security guards came in.

"Fellas!" Darius beamed. "Welcome to New York!"


	10. No Bitchassness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N: Hey ya'll! So here is the next installment in MtB:T5. I hope you guys like this one. The next one a lot of characters get introduced. Granted not all of them will be in your face all the time but quite of few of them will. Enjoy!**
> 
> **Happy Reading!**
> 
> ****
> 
> **ProTIP: Darius Mills is a mix of who he is as a character on Instant Star and Diddy. So maybe that makes him a bit OOC but I don't care about that. They are actually really simliar. The only thing that actual is overt Diddy is the way Darius speaks. Just an FYI.**
> 
>   **And as always, COMMENTS and KUDOS = LOVE!**
> 
> ****  
>  _Disclaimer: I do NOT own: Glee, Instant Star, Making the Band, any characters, places, words or phrases from any of the aforementioned television shows, Diddy, No Bitcheassness (that belongs to Diddy), Fender Stratacoustic, G Major or anything else you can find outside of fandom. The storyline belongs solely to me._   
> 
> 
> **
> 
> THIS FANFICTION IS UNBETA'D BUT PROOFREAD BY HUMANS. ANY REMAINING MISTAKES ARE UNINTENTIONAL. APOLOGIES FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE.
> 
> **
> 
>   
> 

"How ya'll fellas doing?" Darius asked as he and Sadie joined them in the sunken living room.

"Good," Mike answered.

"Good, alright so, in these envelops that Sadie is giving you," he said as his wife handed each guy a thick tan envelop, "is everything you need to know to help you survive at G Major. There are extra key cards for the apartment, key cards to allow you access to G Major, a schedule and most importantly, your very first single."

They looked at him wide eyed in wonderment. They had, in their hot little hands, their very first single. It was real now.

"So, you need look over the schedule. It is your responsibility to kept every single appointment," Sadie told them.

"Exactly. No half stepping," Darius said rising to his feet. "Now, ya'll got about four hours before your asses need to be down at G Major."

"Why?" Sam asked.

"Well, other than I said so, it's your first official meet and greet with the rest of the label," he explained. "In these garment bags that security is bringing in are brand new suits. You're welcome. Wear them tonight."

"Now, they're Armani, so be careful with them because as of right now, you can't afford to replace it," Sadie said taking two bags from the guard and handing them to Mike and Sam. Blaine and Puck took theirs and she laid Artie's across his lap. "Also, in your packet is room assignments. Each of you get your own room but we assigned the rooms. Grab your things and find your rooms."

"You got ten minutes," Darius said.

Artie moved himself into his chair and the rest of them scrambled to their feet and down the hallway to the left of the door. Mike opened his packet and thumbed through it before pulling out the room assignment sheet.

"Alright, this first room is Blaine's," he said pointing to the first door. Blaine beamed and opened the door.

_Blaine Confessional_

_My room is so amazing! King size bed, walk-in closet, plush cream carpet, three walls are dark blue and the fourth is royal blue and black tartan. The room screams me! I love it!_

"Ok, the second room is Puck's," Mike said. Puck turned the knob and opened the door wide.

"Fuck yeah!" he smiled.

_Puck Confessional_

_My room is kick ass! Black walls, thick black carpet, big ass bed, walk-in closet and the best part, the ceiling looks like a leather jacket! There are zippers and buckles and shit on it! It's fucking cool! This room is definitely Puckzilla approved._

"This room is Sam's," Mike said as the three of them moved to the next door. Sam opened the door and stepped inside.

_Sam Confessional_

_It seems like my old apartment in Memphis could fit inside this room. Twice. It's got a big ass bed in the corner, a walk-in closet, three blue walls, one red wall and the ceiling is white and so is the fluffy carpet. But the best feature of the room is the tan trimmed in black Fender Stratacoustic guitar. It's the single most beautiful thing I've ever seen. This is literally a dream come true._

"Alright, this is me," Mike said. "Wait here and I'll come back and help you with your bags." Artie nodded as Mike entered into his bedroom.

_Mike Confessional_

_I have no idea what to say about this room. Two walls are dark red, the third is black and the fourth has a thick dark red curtain in front of it. When you pull the curtain back, it's a mirror wall. Floor to ceiling, corner to corner mirror with a bar. My big ass bed is off in the far corner of the room leaving me plenty of space to dance. The walk-in closet is huge and the whole room is covered in black carpet expect for a section in front of the mirror. It's big enough to actually dance on. I checked. I love this room!_

When Mike came out of his room, Blaine, Puck and Sam were standing there with Artie.

"Hey," he smiled at them. "Ok, Artie, this room at the end of the hall is you, man," he said. Artie rolled up to the door and smiled. He touched the door knob and blinked away the tears that were forming in his eyes. "You alright?"

"Yeah. Yeah man. I'm cool," Artie said as he turned the knob and rolled inside.

_Artie Confessional_

_This room is...amazing. Three walls are black with thin white vertical pinstripes and the fourth one, at the top, is dark green but the bottom half looks like staff paper. The knobs are lowered so that I can reach them on the walk-in, or roll-in closet and my room has a bathroom. Again, the knob is lowered but so is everything else. The toilet, the sink. The shower floor is flush with the floor and the shower chair has wheels on it so that I can turn around in there. The bed is lowered so I have an easier time getting in and out, all of the dressers in the closet, lowered. The bars for my clothes are on this motorized thing. I press a button, they lower, I hang my things on them, hit the button again and up they go. This is the room of my dreams and Darius went above and beyond on this one. I'm really grateful._

"Artie, what's taking so..." Blaine trailed off as he entered into the room, his other three bandmates behind him. "Wow!"

"Right?" Artie beamed.

"Why do you get the biggest room?" Puck asked as he looked around the room. "Dude's got a bathroom in his room. I gotta share on with Blainers."

"It's Blaine," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Whatever. This shit ain't fair," Puck said.

"What's not fair?" Darius asked, suddenly appearing in the doorway of Artie's bedroom.

"Artie getting the biggest room," Puck said.

"Are you really bitching about the cat in the wheelchair getting a bigger room than you?" Darius asked, his eyebrow raised.

_Darius Confessional_

_They asses just got here. It's too soon to be teaching these motherfuckers life lessons and shit but I guess that's what the fuck I'm here for._

"Listen here. I don't like to repeat myself so take this shit in and let it marinate," Darius said seriously. "The number one rule at G Major is no bitchassness." They all just looked at him. "It means, do not _do_ bitchass things, do not _think_ bitchass things, do not _say_ bitchass things. No bitchassness. If you motherfuckers break this rule then we have a problem. So Puck, what were you saying about Artie's room?"

"Just that it's cool," Puck said.

"That's what I thought. Now carry ya asses back to the living room," he said stepping aside to allow them all to exit.

"Uh, Darius," Artie said as the two of them brought up the rear. "Thank you so much for the room. It means a lot."

"No problem, man. My artists are important to me. I take care of my people," Darius said holding his fist out for Artie to bump. "Alright, in a few hours a car will be here to pick you up and bring you down to G Major. Be ready. You'll have the meet and greet and then we'll get down to real business."

"Bring your packets with you," Sadie added

"Ok. We'll be there," Mike smiled.

"Good. See ya'll later," Darius said as he, Sadie and the security guards exited the apartment.


	11. Welcome to the G Major Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N: Hey ya'll! Here is the latest chapter of MtB:T5. I hope you guys enjoy it. This chapter we meet the G Major family and in the next chapter the boys get to the business of being recording artists.**
> 
> **Happy Reading!**
> 
> **Enjoy!**
> 
> **And as always, COMMENTS and KUDOS = LOVE!**
> 
> **  
> _Disclaimer: I do NOT own: To many things to list but anyone and anything you recognize from fandom is not mine._  
>  **
> 
> **
> 
> THIS FANFICTION IS UNBETA'D BUT PROOFREAD BY HUMANS. ANY REMAINING MISTAKES ARE UNINTENTIONAL. APOLOGIES FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE.
> 
> **
> 
>   
> 

"Come on guys!" Mike called as he pulled his inky black blazer over his shoulders.

"We're here," Blaine said as he, Sam and Artie came down the hallway dressed in the suits that Darius and Sadie had left for them.

"Puck!" Mike yelled. "Come on, man!"

"I'm right here, _Dad_ ," Puck said, as he stretched into his inky black blazer. "Where's the fire?"

"I want to be downstairs in the lobby _before_ the car get here," Mike said. "We're not going to be late for anything. Ever."

"Anal much?" Puck said as he shut the door behind the group.

"Just because he wants us to be on time and make a good impression doesn't mean he's anal," Blaine commented, rolling his eyes.

"Whatever. I just don't like being called out," Puck said as Sam pressed the L button inside the elevator.

"Nobody called you out," Mike said annoyed. "Stop being over sensitive. It's lame." Artie, Sam and Blaine laughed.

When the doors dinged open, and the boys stepped into the lobby as a skinny, brown skin man was approaching them.

"I'm Kenneth," he said shaking each of their hands. "I'm Darius' driver but he sent me to pick ya'll up today; so let's roll," he said as he turned and headed back toward the door. They followed him outside to the shiny black limo. Kenneth held the door open for them and they piled inside.

"Everyone got their packet?" Mike asked before the car pulled off.

"Yeah, I got mine and Artie's," Blaine answered.

"I got mine," Sam said, flipping his jacket back to show the folded over envelop in this pocket. Puck was silent. They all looked at him.

"I'm just playin'," he laughed. "It's right here." he said holding up the envelop.

"Ya'll ready?" Kenneth asked.

"Yeah," Mike said. Kenneth nodded and pulled away from the curb.

Anticipation grew inside of the boys as Kenneth navigated the limo through the streets. When the car stopped and the door opened and they stepped onto the crowded New York sidewalk, awe filled each of their beings.

Here they were. Outside of G Major Records. Puck helped Artie into his chair and when he was settled, he pushed him inside the building.

"Good afternoon. Welcome to G Major," the beautiful Hispanic girl behind the large receptionist desk said with a bright smile. "I'm Maria. Darius is waiting for you in the conference room on the eighth floor."

"Thanks," Mike smiled as they moved toward the elevators. The doors opened and they moved inside. Artie hesitantly pushed the button labeled 8 and up they went. When the doors opened, Sadie was standing there in front of a pair of double doors.

"Good afternoon boys," she smiled. "You ready?"

"As we'll ever be," Artie answered. She smiled again and pushed the doors open.

Inside the room was a long, sleek, black table at which Darius sat at the head. Each side of the table was lined with people and only a few of the faces were familiar.

"Sit here," Sadie said pointing to four empty chairs.

"Fellas, nice to see you again," Darius said when Sadie took a seat at his left. "First thing I want to do is introduce you to the rest of the G Major family," he told them as he rose to his feet. "You know, Sadie. She's my wife, and assistant. You know Kwest, he's gonna be your producer and you know Ashley, she gonna be one of your songwriters," Darius said reintroducing them to the people they already knew. "You remember Bianca?" the boys nodded and waved. "And her assistants, Mitchie, Mary and Ryan." the boys waved again. "Now, I know you know Brittany," Darius said touching the blonde on the shoulder. She smiled at them. "These are her talented and beautiful bandmates, Mercedes Jones and Santana Lopez."

"The Troubletones," Artie said. "I knew Brittany looked familiar, I just could figure out why."

"Ladies, that's Artie, Mike, Blaine, Puck and Sam," Darius introduced. "Mercedes is going to be your vocal coach."

_Sam Confessional _

_I know I looked like a complete idiot but I don't really care. It hadn't even occurred to me that Brittany from callbacks was the same Brittany in the über talented Troubletones. But that's not why I looked like an idiot. Mercedes Jones. I've had this stupid crush on her ever since they debuted five years ago. She's so much more beautiful in person than I would've thought and now she's going to be our vocal coach. I can't handle that. She's too beautiful and too great and did I mention beautiful? Yeah I know, (Sam said, putting his head down, his ears red) I'm being a fanboy about this but I can't help it. Mercedes is...an inspiration._

"Allow me to introduce you to one of your mentors, songwriters and producer, Tom Quincy," Darius said as he moved to stand by an attractive man with great hair.

"What's up fellas?" Tom waved. "Call me Tommy."

"He's gonna mentor us?" Puck asked.

"Yes," Darius answered, "and before you continue, you should probably remember the conversation we had back at the apartment." Puck just looked at him. "G Major family, what is rule number one?"

"No bitchassness!" the entire table said simultaneously.

"Right," Puck muttered.

_Puck Confessional _

_I can't imagine what Little Tommy Q has to offer as a mentor. My girl used to love his boyband, Boyz Attack. She still listens to that shit. I don't know. It just seems like a waste of time._

"This is his beautiful wife and the inaugural winner of G Major's Instant Star, Jude Harrison-Quincy," their boss introduced.

"Hey guys," the red head with the baby bump smiled. "Just call me Jude." They all returned her smile.

"These guys are the Spiederman Mind Explosion," Darius said. "Headed up by Vincent Spiederman."

"Sup dudes," Vincent said. "Call me Vince, Spied or Master of Rock," he smiled brightly.

"This beautiful lady is Spiederman's wife, Karma and the third winner of Instant Star," Darius said.

"Hi," she smiled. The boys smiled back.

"This is Kurt Hummel," Darius said standing behind a flawlessly dressed man with perfectly styled hair. "He's our head stylist and CEO of KHummel and KHummel for G Major."

"Hello," Kurt smiled.

_Blaine Confessional _

_Kurt Hummel is...he's gonna be in the place that I work everyday. That's insane. I love his line and I've been tracking his career and I'm only mildly embarrassed to admit that I have a crush on him. I wonder want the policy is on inter-company fraternization? It seems like it should be pretty lax._

"This is Marley Rose. She's a very talented songwriter," Darius introduced.

"It's nice to meet you," she smiled brightly.

"This is my nephew Shay," Darius said. "G Major's only Hip-Hop artist."

"G Major's only _platinum_ hip-hop artist," Shay bragged. "What's up fellas?" They gave him a brief wave.

"This is Mason Fox," Darius said. "He's the second winner of Instant Star and G Major's only Country artist."

"Hey ya'll," Mason beamed.

_Blaine Confessional _

_I'm so excited about meeting Mason! I can't wait to pick his brain about what it's like to be gay in the business. He's such and inspiration to me._

"This guy needs no introduction," Darius smiled brightly. "He's multi-platinum recording artist and your other mentor, Joey Parker."

"What's up guys?" Joey smiled brightly. "This is my manager, The Funk."

"Gentleman," Funk said, pointing at them.

_Artie Confessional_

_That's cool as shit! I love me some Joey Parker. Some dudes would say he makes music for bitches but so what? Those were the same dudes bumping Ja Rule._

_Mike Confessional _

_Joey Parker is such an incredible talent. Yeah I know he can sing but I'm talking about dance. I know that he's just our mentor but that doesn't mean that we can get together sometime and bust some serious moves._

"Now, because I want you to look as good as possible you are going to be on a first name basis with this guy," Darius told them. "Fellas meet your personal trainer, Tyler Lockwood." The five of them looked at the very muscular man who was smiling at them and seemed nice enough but not one of them were diluted enough to think that once they stepped foot in the gym that he would be Mr. Nice Guy.

"How ya doing?" Tyler waved.

"Great," they answered.

"Lastly, this is your A&R guy, Jamie Andrews," Darius said in a slightly less enthusiastic tone.

"Hey guys," the tall man in the black frame glasses said.

"Alright, now before ya'll asses get back to work, let's all toast," Darius said as a few women came in carrying trays of champagne. Once everyone had a flute, Darius spoke again, "To Sam, Mike, Blaine, Puck and Artie. Good luck in everything that you do," he said holding up his glass then taking a drink. Everyone else followed suit. "Welcome to the G Major family!"

The boys beamed at everyone around the table. This was all real. It wasn't a dream and it wasn't a drill. They were actually on G Major Records. Life couldn't be better.

"Ok, everyone get back to work," Sadie said getting to her feet. As everyone exited the conference room they shook hands with the boys and congratulated them. Once the room cleared out, Darius, Sadie, Jamie, Kwest, Tommy, Ashley, Artie, Mike, Puck, Blaine and Sam were all that remained.

"Alright, so I'm assuming you have at least glanced at the shit in that packet," Darius said.

"Yeah, we did," Mike said.

"Good, then you know that tomorrow, bright and early, you'll be meeting with Kwest and Tommy at the studio," Darius said.

"Yeah," Artie smiled.

"Have you looked at the song?" Tommy asked.

"No, not yet," Blaine answered.

"Well, feel free but after we hear you on it, we might tweak it a bit," Kwest told them. They nodded their understanding.

"Alright, you guys follow Jamie to his office and get to business," Darius said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Thank you so much," Mike said as they rose from the table, Puck grabbing Artie's chair.

"I didn't do anything," Darius smiled. "Ya'll are the talented ones who got yourselves here." Mike smiled as he followed the exodus of his bandmates out of the conference room and down the hall.


	12. Over and Over

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N: Hey guys! So there is the next chapter of Making the Band. I hope you guys enjoy it. There are a lot of confessionals in this chapter but they were needed.**
> 
> **Enjoy!**
> 
> **Happy Reading!**
> 
> **And as always, COMMENTS and KUDOS = LOVE!**
> 
> ****
> 
> **ProTIP:**
> 
>  **Over and Over by New Edition is the song in this chapter.**
> 
>  **Please note that in this story it is an original song written by Kwest and Tom Quincy. Every song for now on will be considered original unless otherwise stated.**
> 
> **_Disclaimer: I do NOT own: Glee, Instant Star, Making the Band, any characters, places, words or phrases from any of the aforementioned television shows, Over and Over by New Edition (please note that in this story it is an original song written by Kwest and Tom Quincy) or anything else you can find out side of fandom._**
> 
> **
> 
> THIS FANFICTION IS UNBETA'D BUT PROOFREAD BY HUMANS. ANY REMAINING MISTAKES ARE UNINTENTIONAL. APOLOGIES FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE.
> 
> **

_Artie Confessional_

_I am not a fan of our A &R guy, Jamie. I don't know. He seems like a lame. Worse yet, he seems like a music snob. You know the people I'm talking about. The people who think they're better music fans than you because they know some obscure bands and artists and 1000 of their equally obscure songs which also happen to be horrible. I hate those fucking people. Those bands and artists are obscure because like you, they suck._

_Puck Confessional_

_I can not believe that that dude Jamie said that our group was too "mainstream for his tastes but he'd see what he could do for us." Wack!_

The boys returned home from their first day at G Major happy but a little worried about Jamie. The first thing he had said to them was "you're a little to mainstream for my tastes but I'll see what I can do for you." If Mike hadn't of put his hand on Puck's shoulder all hell would have broken loss in his office.

"I want a new guy," Puck said plopping down on the plush couch.

"We can't ask for a new A&R guy, second day on the job," Mike said taking a seat. "Just because the guy was a dick doesn't meant he isn't capable of doing his job."

"True but I didn't like him," Blaine said. He had just come from the kitchen with drinks for everyone.

"I didn't like him either but Darius handpicked him for us," Mike said. "So everyone stop bitching about it and go to bed," he said rising to his feet and disappearing from the living room.

_Mike Confessional_

_We've been her a day. One single, solitary day and the four of them are already bitching. Yes, Jamie was a dick. So? Puck's a dick and we have to deal with his ass. I'm not here to babysit these grown people. We are all here for a common purpose. To make music. We haven't even stepped a toe in the studio and they are already acting like divas. Demanding new people to work for us. Whatever. I guess, I have to take control of the situation and help them get the fuck over themselves._

"Mike's right about bed guys," Blaine said. "We've got to get up early." They all agreed and went to their bedrooms.

Mike got up early the next morning. Showered then went to the kitchen and made everyone fruit salad. When he went into the walk-in pantry to grab the big container of Splenda he saw a giant white board. He pulled his out and went to work on it.

"What's is this?" Puck asked as he pushed Artie into the kitchen.

"It's the schedule," Mike announced. "Where's Sam?" he asked as Blaine came in an grabbed a stool.

"He said he was on his way," Blaine said as he sprinkled some sugar substitute on his bowl of fruit. A few minutes later, Sam came in and took a seat.

"What?" Sam asked Mike, who was staring at him with a hard face.

"I know we gotta take turns or whatever but it's 5:45 right now. I've been up since 3:30," Mike said. "I know that Puck got up at four o'clock so that just left you and Blaine. We all need to be in the kitchen every morning by 5:30."

"That's fine, Dad. Next tell Blaine not to take forty-five minutes in the shower and I'll here on time," Sam snapped.

"I'm not reprimanding you, Sam; unless you think you need to be reprimanded. I'm just saying that when Blaine was taking too long you could have went down to Artie's room to see if you could use his shower," Mike retorted. "Anyway, this is the damn schedule. Learn it, live it, love it."

"Shit," Puck said his eyes roving the white board.

"Busy as shit right?" Blaine said.

"My damn thoughts exactly," Artie said with a deep sigh.

"Yeah, I'm not too excited about that," Sam said pointing to a place on the schedule that said **Dance rehearsals 3pm-7pm**.

"You know I'll help you, Sam," Mike said. "At rehearsals and here at the apartment if you want."

"Yeah I know. Thanks man," Sam said with a brief smile.

"Alright. It's five til six. Let's go," Mike said as he cleared their bowls and put the leftover fruit salad away.

They all grabbed their gym bags and packets and headed out the door.

* * *

When the boys arrived in the Bronx they went inside the narrow building in front of them. The sign on the wall said **The Impossible Kwest Studios - 5** **th** **floor.** They looked around for an elevator and were disappointed when they realized that there wasn't one.

"Fuck," Puck groaned and he and Mike grabbed the legs of Artie's chair and Sam and Blaine grabbed the hand grips. The four of them lifted him and started up the stairs. When they finally reached the fifth floor, they set him down. "Fuck," Puck said again.

"Did everyone bring their packet?" Mike asked. Artie held up all five packets. "Alright, let's go," he said as he led them down the hallway.

"Fellas!" Kwest smiled as they came in the small but spacious room. "How ya'll doing this morning?"

"I'm fine," Artie said, "but they not."

"What's wrong?" Kwest asked.

"You need to get a damn elevator," Mike said, plopping down on the couch.

"Or a giant dumbwaiter," Blaine commented as he sat down beside Mike.

"What?" Kwest laughed.

"Ironsides is heavier than he looks," Sam said.

"The least this fucking building could do it get a damn ramp," Puck said. Kwest was doubled over laughing. "What's funny?"

"Ya'll! If ya'll dumbasses would have come down the alley, there's an elevator," he told him between laughs.

"Damn," Puck said under his breath.

"Hoo boy! Thank you. I needed that laugh," Kwest said finally catching his breath.

"Anyway, can we get started?" Mike asked taking his packet from Artie.

"Not yet," Kwest said. "We're waiting on Tom." They all nodded and pulled the song out of the envelopes while they waited. Fifteen minutes later, Tommy rolled in and threw his bag and leather jacket in the empty chair at the board beside Kwest. "You're late."

"I wasn't aware," Tommy griped.

"What happened this time?" Kwest asked.

"Oh you know, 'move the crib away from the window it could come open.'. And, 'we should moved the bottle warmer to the nursery. I know I said it's ideal in the kitchen but that's a lot of walking. Oh! We could get a mini fridge in the nursery too!'. And, 'Tommy, we have to repaint the baby's room. I don't think I'm going to like stripes in a few months.'. Then, 'Oh, Tommy could you go down to Scully's. They're the only place that will put cottage cheese and pickles on a pizza for me.'," Tommy said, going through his bag. "She's driving me crazy and the baby's not even here yet. And do you think it matters to her that I was going to be late? No. She says that if she put the baby before her career then I can be thirty minutes late. It's not like I'm the one walking around in maternity skinny jeans and a basketball under my shirt. I'll live if I'm a little late," Tommy told them as he put his bag on the floor and sat down.

"Aww, when's your wife due?" Blaine asked.

"In a few months," Tommy answered, "thank God."

"Ya'll ready to get started?" Kwest asked laughing.

"Yeah," Mike answered with a deep sigh.

Kwest nodded and turned back to the board. He pressed a button and a Country/R&B/Funk beat begins. The five of them start to groove to it.

"Ok, this song's called _Over and Over._ Kwest and I wrote it," Tommy informed them. "This first part is the chorus. Everybody's gonna sing it," Tommy said as he grooved to the beat.

 **"Over and over and over I try**  
**To get you off of my mind**  
 **But I can't win the fight**  
 **There's a feelin' I know**  
 **When I'm losing in love**  
 **It's the feeling I get when I can't get enough," he and Kwest sang.**

"This next part is Sam's," Kwest said pointing to Sam.

 **"Something about you babe**  
**Makes me feel the way I do**  
 **Know that I love you babe**  
 **So ya treat me like a fool**  
 **Wanna tell me babe**  
 **How I fit into your plan**  
 **Don't ya deceive me baby**  
 **I'm just tryin' to be your man cause," Tommy sang.**

"Next is Mike," Kwest said pointing to him.

" **Oh nobody ever made me feel the is way**  
**And oh I think and dream about you every day**  
 **And oh If I could only get you off my mind**  
 **Oh but every time I try to run away," Kwest sang.**

"The group again," Tommy said.

 **"Over and over and over I try**  
**To get you off of my mind**  
 **But I can't win the fight**  
 **There's a feelin' I know**  
 **When I'm losing in love**  
 **It's the feeling I get when I can't get enough," he and Kwest sang.**

"Next up is Blaine," Kwest said pointing to Blaine.

" **Something about you baby**  
**Changed the way I look at me**  
 **Is it obsession baby**  
 **Or just curiosity**  
 **You takin' advantage baby**  
 **Of my sensitivity**  
 **Do what you wanna babe**  
 **Just give back my sanity," Tommy sang.**

"Then Puck," Kwest said pointing to him.

 **"Oh no other loves affected me before**  
**Girl you changed the rules but I come back for more**  
 **I'm a player in this game I'll never win**  
 **This addictive love's about to do me in," Kwest sang.**

"Group!" Tommy said.

**"Over and over and over I try**   
**To get you off of my mind**   
**But I can't win the fight**   
**There's a feelin' I know**   
**When I'm losing in love**   
**It's the feeling I get when I can't get enough," Kwest and Tommy sang again.**

Kwest stopped the song before the next part began.

"Ok, so the next part to the end of song get a bit more complicated," Tommy said. The next line, " **something about you baby"** , is Artie's. That's followed by the rest of you singing,

**"Over and over I try**   
**To get you off my mind**   
**But I can't win the fight."**

Kwest started the music and the two of them sang that section so that Artie, Sam, Puck, Mike and Blaine knew how it would go.

"The next verse is Artie's," Kwest said as the music kept playing.

**"There's something about you baby**   
**When I think about you baby**   
**There's no doubt about it baby**   
**I know it's suicide to stay**   
**But baby every time I try to run away-y," Tommy sang.**

"This part is a dance break," Tommy told them as all seven of them grooved to the music. "When the vocals start again, Artie sings the first line then it's the group again," he told him as Kwest sang,

**"Oh it's just something about you baby."**

**"Over and over and over I try**   
**To get you off of my mind**   
**But I can't win the fight**   
**There's a feelin' I know**   
**When I'm losing in love**   
**It's the feeling I get when I can't get enough," Sam, Blaine, Puck and Mike sang this time.**

"Nice!" Tommy said beaming. "Alright, the next three lines go to Sam, Artie and Blaine; in that order," he told them.

**"It's just something about you babe," Sam sang.**

**"Something about you baby," Artie crooned.**

**"Something about you babe," Blaine sang.**

"The next four lines go to Puck and Mike," Kwest said. "Mike, then Puck, then Mike, then Puck again. It's kinda like a low chant fellas," he told them.

**"Over and over," Mike sang.**

**"Over and over," Puck sang.**

**"Over and over," Mike sang again.**

**"Over and over," Puck sang again.**

"Then Artie," Tommy said pointing to him.

**"Something about you," Artie sang.**

"Now the group till the end," Tommy told them.

**"Over and over and over I try**   
**To get you off of my mind**   
**But I can't win the fight**   
**There's a feelin' I know**   
**When I'm losing in love**   
**It's the feeling I get when I can't get enough," all seven of them sang together.**

When the song ended, Mike, Sam, Puck, Blaine and Artie all looked at each other, smiles stretched across their faces.

"So?" Tommy said.

"That's dope, yo!" Artie beamed.

"It's bad ass," Puck added. "Awesome!"

"Even though girl was said a couple of times, I'm in love with the song," Blaine said.

"You guys did an amazing job," Mike said to Kwest and Tommy. "That song is awesome."

"It's got a little bit of everything," Sam smiled. "I loved it!"

"Alright! Good to hear," Kwest said. "Let's get you all in the booth together to record the chorus then we'll work on the individual verses.

_Artie Confessional_

_Over and Over is dope! So dope! The world is not ready for this! Not ready! I can't wait for people to hear this. It's hot!_

_Sam Confessional_

_Over and Over is so fire! I'm not all that excited about the dance break but I'll get over it. The song is so hot! I think people are gonna love it!_

After several hours of singing then going again, and again, and again, the entire song was recorded and roughly mixed. Kwest played the song back and they all loved it.

"Alright ya'll. Think of this as the rough draft," Kwest told them. "Tommy and I gotta clean it up, then Darius gotta get his hands on it and after that you might have to come in a do some rerecording. You are by no means done in this studio, so I'll see you tomorrow," he said.

"Thanks for a great day," Mike said shaking Tommy and Kwest's hands.

"No problem," Tommy said. "You guys did great."

"Thanks," Mike said as he and his bandmates headed toward the door.

"Oh and fellas," Kwest called. They all turned back to look at him.

"Darius said that by the time you guys get here tomorrow, you need to have a band name," he told them.

"What?" Blaine asked shocked. "We have to pick it?"

"Yeah," Tommy said.

_Blaine Confessional_

_So we just found out that we have to come up with a band name. I have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to naming groups. We don't have some kind of story that the name could be pulled from. The letters B, S, A, P and M, don't spell anything. I don't know. I hope we come up with something but all I see is a bunch of dumb idea from Puck and nobody else coming up with anything good._

"What if that's not enough time?" Blaine asked.

"I don't know but I'm thinking that complaining places you promptly in violation of rule number one," Kwest said.

"Right," Blaine said, "no bitchassness."

"Right," Tommy said, "now get out of here. Bianca can be a bitch. Especially when you're late."

"See ya," Mike said as he, Puck, Sam, Artie and Blaine made their way to the elevator.

_Mike Confessional_

_Blaine is freaking out over nothing. Do I think that picking a band name will be hard? Yes, I'm predicting that it'll be hard as shit but I'm not overly concerned because we all know that we have to do this; so it'll be in our minds all day. I don't know. Maybe I just think he's being a little...over-dramatic. I can only hope that it doesn't effect the way this name picking thing goes._


	13. We're Track 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N: Hey guys! I know, it's been way to long since I've updated this story but I've brought you 3,340 words of actual story so I hope that makes up a little bit for my absence. So This chapter you get to see a little bit of what a day in the life of an artist at G Major is like and the boys tackle naming the band. In the last chapter, they just recorded their first song and that song is incorporated throughout this chapter. I hope you enjoy it!**
> 
>  
> 
> **SIDENOTE: My sister, Princess976, author of Glee World, said that she was retired from Glee stories except for Finnocence and the Diva and Mistakes He Made, I convinced her to not be so hasty. I just wanted to let people know that because I don't know if she will.**
> 
> **Happy Reading!**
> 
>  
> 
> **And as always, COMMENTS and KUDOS = LOVE!**
> 
>  
> 
> __  
> **Disclaimer: I do NOT own: Glee, Making the Band, Instant Star, any characters, places, words or phrases from any of the aforementioned shows, Christian Louboutin, Levi's, Love After War from Love After War by Robin Thicke, Lost in Your Love from Love Letter by R. Kelly, Tangled from Songs About Jane by Maroon 5, Take You from Believe by Justin Bieber, Just That Girl from Not Another Cinderella Soundtrack by Drew Seeley, or anything else you can find outside of fandom.**  
> 

When the boys arrived at G Major, they could hear the music of _Over and Over_ blasting from the dance studio. When they opened they door they spotted Bianca, Brittany – in a wheelchair, Mitchie, Mary and Ryan all dancing to _their_ song. They grooved along until the song ended.

"Hey boys," Bianca said out of breath as she stopped the music. "The track's hot," she complimented.

"Thanks," Mike said as they all dropped their bags.

"Alright, let's get stretched out and we'll get started," Bianca said moving to the front of the room. Once everyone was thoroughly stretched, she pulled the remote from her pocket," OK, ya'll watch us one time through and then we'll teach you," she told them as she pressed play.

The music boomed to life. Mike began to move his arms and legs along with the Bianca and the other dancers to the choruses. Sam rolled his eyes. He was a little nervous about the footwork.

_Sam Confessional_

_(Sam looks downtrodden into the camera)_

_What am I doing here? I can't dance. I should have just turned this down and found out if Darius was looking for a session musician for Mason Fox. Is it too late to bail?_

Artie grooved in his chair as he watched Brittany take front and center and the others dance around her. Grabbing the chair grips as Brittany moved her arms in the same manner as everyone else.

_Artie Confessional_

_It's cool as shit how Bianca and them have incorporated my chair into the dance. A lot of people would have just had me sitting out in the front, blowing people away with my vocals not doing anything else but ya boy got moves._

When the song was over, Bianca paused it again.

"So, what'd ya think?" she asked.

"Awesome!" Mike said as he stepped away from the mirror.

"Cool. So, come on. Let's start breaking this down," Bianca said with a smile. She paired up Artie and Brittany, Puck and Mitchie, Blaine and Ryan, Sam and Mary and she was with Mike. "5, 6, 7, 8!" she called out and they began to move though the choreography.

A few hours later, they were starting to come together. Sam had told Mary that he had two left feet and he hoped she had patience. She told him that she'll teach him some tricks to get through the steps.

_Sam Confessional_

_So Mary is super cool. She taught me that all I need to do is not get stressed out about remembering the steps. I know the steps. I need to just associate each step with a lyric and every time I sing the lyric I'll remember the step. It was brilliant and it worked! I'm so happy. I didn't want to be the odd man out._

"Alright, fellas, good work today," Bianca told them. "Same time tomorrow. Showers are down the hall to the left. You better hurry," she said looking at her watch, "you got 20 minutes to get downstairs to the practice room."

The boys scrambled out of the room, showered and hopped in the elevator. They got to the practice room with five minutes to spare. When they opened the door, they heard _Over and Over_ playing again but this time with their voices. They smiled at each other as they approached Mercedes standing at the piano grooving.

_Sam Confessional_

_Could she maybe be a little more beautiful? I feel like a teenager with sweaty palms and a boner. OK so maybe not the boner but trust me, it would only take a look, or a brush of her hand for Sammy Jr to get there. I'm such a loser._

"Hey ya'll," Mercedes said with a wide smile as the song ended. "I love the song."

"Thank you," Sam said as they all stood around the sleek, black grand piano.

"It's really good. Tom and Kwest outdid themselves," she said.

"We're glad you like it," Mike smiled.

"You guys sound..." she paused, "good."

"What's with the pause?" Puck asked, his brow furrowed.

"Boy chill. I said good not bad," she said looking at him. "But in this business good gets you a number one, maybe, and a "I wonder what happened to them" in two years when the song happens to play on iHeartRadio," Mercedes said matter-of-fact.

"Damn, girl," Artie said. "Tell us what's really up next time."

"Did you want me to lie to you?" she questioned. "Tell you that it was the most amazing thing I've ever heard and then when Darius got an ear to it and told you you were crazy if you thought this was up to G Major standards, you wanna look at me like I am the one in the wrong when really it's _you_ on the track who turned in the 'good' work," she ranted. "No, I ain't gonna sugarcoat shit."

"We appreciate your honesty," Mike told her, cutting his eyes at the rest of them.

_Mike Confessional_

_What the hell is wrong with them? This is our **first** song; ever. Did they honestly think that it was going to be Beyoncé great? Troubletones great? I am really proud of us and we do sound good but Mercedes is our vocal coach. We've never sang in a group before and I'm really looking forward to learning whatever she has to teach us and learning how to sound great. Not just good._

_Puck Confessional_

_Mercedes is hot but that shit she said was not cool. We were handpicked by Darius. I bet she wouldn't be saying that bullshit to him about our vocals._

"Ya'll ready to get started?" Mercedes asked. They all nodded. "OK, let's warmup then we'll listen through once," she said as she touched a key on the piano and waited for them to match it. When warmups were over Mercedes played the song again. They all grooved and half did the dance moves they had just learned. "Ok, so first I'm gonna teach you a technique you're going to need in order to dance on stage and not sound out of breath. Alright, stand up completely straight or sit up as it were. Try to visualize creating space between your pelvis and hips," she instructed as she did the same. "Now breath in then out a few times for me." They all did as they were told. "Good, now listen to me carefully. I want to expand your whole body with your breathe. Up, down, side to side, front to back." they all just looked at her with quirked eyebrows. She laughed. "I know, it seems crazy but don't think about how to do it. Just do it," she told them. So, they did. "Good, now place your fingertips on the fleshy part between your rib cage," she said as she placed her fingers on her mid-section right beneath where her bra sat. She moved Sam and Puck's hands down and Blaine moved Mike's. "Ok, now what you're touching is your deflated diaphragm. We're gonna expand it, hold it for five seconds then release it for five seconds," Mercedes said. "Now, deep all over breath," she said, "and you should feel like a spare tired filling up right under your fingers. That's good and hold it." Everyone smiled because they had _actually_ done it right. "Ok, here we go. One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi, four Mississippi, five Mississippi; release slowly. One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi, four Mississippi, five Mississippi," Mercedes instructed. They each exhaled slowly.

"That was awesome as fuck," Puck beamed. Mercedes smiled back.

"Now what?" Mike questioned.

"Now, we're gonna practice a few scales with the new breathing technique and then we're gonna go over the song again," she told him.

"Cool," Sam said huskily. Mercedes briefly cut her eyes at him but just as quickly looked away.

"Um, ok. Breath in," she said, "now follow me," she said as she led them through several different scales. "Nice work," she complimented. "Let's get to the song. I've got the instrumental version and a recorder. So you're gonna rerecord it for me. You ready?"

"Bring it," Puck said laying his lyrics on the piano.

"Yeah girl, we got this shit," Artie smiled.

"Alright, hit it," she beamed as she started the music.

The five of them sang through the song using the new breathing technique they had just been taught and by the end, Mercedes had a huge smile on her face. She stopped the music and the recorder and hugged each of them. She noticed that Sam held on the longest.

"Now that shit was great!" she said with a bright smile.

"For real?" Artie asked.

"It felt better," Blaine commented.

"What are you talking about, shortie?" Puck asked him.

"Ignoring the insulting name, I mean, I already knew how to sing properly. I did it when I recorded the first time but singing it with you guys just now felt different. More polished," he explained.

"You could have helped us out before," Sam said.

"I don't know your musical background," Blaine said slightly annoyed. "How was I supposed to know that I was the only one who knew about the diaphragm?"

"Did you learn that in jail?" Puck asked.

"No, idiot. From Madam Minka at Madam Minka's Musical Playhouse in Seattle," Blaine said folding his arms across his chest.

"Jail would have been cooler," Puck muttered.

"Anyway, I want to you listen to the one you recorded earlier and the one you just did," Mercedes said, playing one and then the other. "See?"

"Hot damn," Artie said smiling. "So dope!"

"Thank you, Mercedes," Mike said hugging her again.

"I didn't do anything but give you a useful tool," she said returning his hug. "Alright boys, that's all the time we have for today. You gotta head back upstairs to see Kurt. Have a good one," she said with a wave before exiting the room.

_Sam Confessional_

_Mercedes is...I don't know the word. Is it stupid that I really like her and we've never even had a private conversation? The way she was no holds barred today was amazing. She put Puck and Artie in their places. It was so badass. I gotta get her alone. I gotta get to know her. But I also gotta be a little more subtle, I think. I think she noticed that a few seconds too long hug. Oh well. She felt like magic in my arms._

_Artie Confessional_

_Alright so ya boy got his wheelchair put on lock today by Miss Jones. I was just saying, that one-hit wonder shit is hell on a self-esteem. But I'm glad she didn't hold back. I want people who are gonna tell me when I can do better. How am I supposed to get undies thrown on stage if I sound just good?_

_Blaine Confessional_

_Mercedes is an excellent teacher. I'm glad that the boys could learn from her. I'm glad that I didn't have to step in and correct her. Teachers don't like it when you do that. But now I'm super nervous because Kurt._

When the boys got upstairs to the KHummel closet, Kurt was standing there waiting for them.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen," Kurt said. "This is my assistant Unique. Today, she and I will be taking measurements, fitting you in things that are already tailored to your sizes and sending you home with a few bags of everyday pieces."

"Cool," Mike said.

"Ok, so step over here and step on the dais," Kurt said pointing to the long raised platform on the side of the room. They each stepped up and Unique positioned them with some space between them. "Ok, feet shoulder width apart, arms up and out to your sides," Kurt instructed. Once they were all in position, he began to measure them and rattle off numbers that Unique wrote down. "Shoes off," he said getting to his feet after he measured the last one of them. "Come over here and stand on this black mat one at a time," he told them. They each did it and a chiming sounded and then Kurt would read off some more numbers to Unique who jotted them down. "Go back to the dais. Unique and I will be back shortly," Kurt said as he and his assistant scurried off toward the rows and rows of clothes and accessories.

About thirty minutes later, the pair returned pushing a cart loaded down with things.

"What's all that?" Mike questioned.

"Be patient and let me mold you," Kurt said thrusting two heavy garment bags into the handsome Asian's hands. He and Unique handed out the rest of the bags, had them stripping and trying on different things, Kurt personally helped Artie before they were all finished. "You look perfect. I had to take the revamped looks that Darius gave you and rework them. He made you look presentable. I made you look like stars," Kurt smiled as he admired his handiwork.

Mike wore a blue short sleeve button-up polo shirt, gray trousers a black vest with shiny lapels, silk suspenders and black patent leather high top Christian Louboutins. Sam wore a sandy color henley, dark-wash Levi's 501's, a navy blue double breasted blazer and brown Christian Louboutin boots. Artie wore a black button up, black slim trousers, a salt and pepper cardigan and black and gray Louboutins. Blaine wore a short sleeve polo shirt, dark blue trousers, and a dark blue silk bow tie with white polka dots, a light gray vest and brown lace up Christian Louboutin dress shoes. And Puck wore, a black tank with _Ramones_ emblazoned on it, black boot-cut jeans, a black blazer with leather lapels and black moto boots by Christian Louboutin.

"Damn," Mike grinned.

"We look good," Artie said. "Nice job, Kurt."

"I know. Now get out of here," Kurt said shooing the boys. "Oh and don't forget to think of that band name!" he called after them.

When the elevator doors closed, Blaine bit his lip.

"What's wrong with you?" Sam asked.

"I'm worried," the short man answered. "I don't know why we have to think of a name. It's so important to a group. It could make or break us before we even get started," Blaine said as they stepped into the lobby. Mike and Puck rolled their eyes as they piled into the car. "Darius is a very smart business man but I just don't think that this was a good idea. Picking a band name should be up to the label. What do we know about picking a band name? None of us have ever been in a band before and have no idea what it takes to pick something that's good and will be relevant," he ranted as Mike unlocked the door of the apartment.

Sam headed straight toward the CD player and loaded five discs, _Love After War by Robin Thicke, Love Letter by R. Kelly, Songs_ _A_ _bout Jane by Maroon 5, Believe by Justin B_ _ie_ _ber, and Just Keepin' It Real by Joey Parker,_ into the changer. As the song _Love After War_ started, Sam took a seat on the couch.

"I just...I don't know," Blaine said flopping down.

"Blaine, shut up," Mike said groaning. "It'll be fine. We've all been stressed about this all day. We'll think of something. We don't have a choice."

"I didn't know I wasn't allowed to air my concerns," Blaine said snotty.

"Who said that?" Mike asked. "I'm just saying you aren't the only one with concerns so..."

"Shut the fuck up about it," Puck interrupted.

 **"Love After War...**  
**I need you tonight baby**  
**Love After War...**  
**Come on and let me make it right baby**  
**Love After War...**  
**I'm knockin on your door**  
**Love After War...**  
**You know I want it, you know I want ya,"** they all sang together as the song ended. They grinned at each other.

"I think we can do this," Artie said. "We are four seemingly intelligent dudes and Puck. We can come up with something."

"Shit, anything is better than nothing," Sam commented. They all nodded in agreement. Then they were silent for a long time. **  
**

**"Baby tonight, I wanna get lost in your love**  
**Baby tonight, I wanna get lost in your love**  
**Baby tonight. I wanna get lost in your love**  
**Baby tonight, I wanna get lost in your love**

 **Baby tonight,"** they all sang together again to _Lost in Your Love._

"I just want to get right," Blaine said once the song ended.

"And like Mike said we're all in this together," Sam said. "Don't get so strung out."

"Exactly. So, anybody got anything?" Mike asked.

"Tuners," Sam suggested.

"Lame," Artie howled. "No. Uh, Swagstas."

"No," Blaine said shaking his head.

"You right. Not all of us could pull that one off," Artie said cutting his eyes at Blaine, who sat with his mouth open in shock.

"Anyway," Mike interrupted, "what about The Crooners?"

"Nah. That's...no," Puck said. "What about B.A.V.?"

"What's that mean?" Sam questioned.

"Bad Ass Vocalists," Puck said matter-of-fact.

"No," the other four said simultaneously.

 **"And I've done you so wrong**  
**And treated you bad, strung you along**  
**Oh, shame on myself**  
**I don't know how I got so tangled up**

 **Strung you along**  
**Oh, shame on myself**  
**I don't know how I got so tangled up** ," the five of them sang the ending of _Tangled_ together.

"How about Songstas?" Blaine suggested.

"Is that like the lame version of my name?" Artie asked, quirking his eyebrow.

"I just thought..." Blaine began.

"That's gay, dude," Puck interrupted.

"That was inappropriate," Mike said punching Puck in the arm.

"Sorry," Puck muttered. "What about That Damn Band?"

"That's a little too classic rock band, dude," Sam said. "What about Rhythmners?"

"Man, that ain't a damn word," Artie laughed.

 **"I could take you out**  
**I could take you home**  
**I could take you home, where you wanna go**  
**I could pick it up**  
**We could take it slow**  
**I could take you home, oh oh oh,"** they all sang along to _Take You_ as it ended.

"We suck at this," Mike laughed.

"I know. I write songs," Sam said, "I should be better than this."

"I don't want you writing shit for me if Rhythmners is the kind of shit you comin' with," Artie joked causing everyone to laugh.

"Everything ain't gonna be a hit," Sam laughed. They were all quiet for a long while.

**"The one that's dancin' through my mind**   
**Just that girl, the girl that I've been tryna find**   
**Just that girl, her style is crazy she's a dime**   
**Almost like I can see her, she's just that girl**

**She know she's just that girl**   
**She know she's just that girl**   
**That girl baby, just that girl**

**She know she's just that girl**  
 **She know she's just that girl,"** they all sang _Just that Girl_ together.

Mike looked at each of them before getting to his feet and going over to the stereo and picking up the CD cases that Sam had had earlier.

"What songs did we sing?" he asked the group.

"Uh, _Love After War by Robin Thicke,_ " Artie answered.

"Yeah and _Lost in Your Love by R. Kelly,_ " Puck answered.

" _Tangled by Maroon 5_ ," Blaine said.

" _Take You by Justin Bieber,"_ Sam said.

"Right and _Just That Girl by Joey Parker_ ," Mike said holding up the five cases.

"So what?" Puck asked.

"Each of those songs is track five," Mike informed the group.

"That's weird," Blaine said.

"No, that's our name," Sam said with a grin.

"What is?" Puck asked.

"Track 5," Artie smiled. "That's dope."

"I fucking like it," Puck said high-fiving Artie.

_Sam, Artie, Puck, Blaine and Mike Confessional_

_Mike: So we actually did it!_

_Puck: Even though it was like six hours of fails._

_Blaine: So? I think we did great._

_Sam: We did awesome!_

_Artie: Yes, we did! Our name is so dope!_

_Mike: I'm Mike._

_Sam: I'm Sam._

_Puck: I'm Puck._

_Blaine: I'm Blaine._

_Artie: I'm Artie._

_Group: And we're Track 5._


End file.
